


With time (everything will shift into place)

by Sunnyqueen



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BAMF Danny "Danno" Williams, Bottom Danny "Danno" Williams, Bottom Steve McGarrett, Dad Steve McGarrett, Domestic Boyfriends, Domestic Fluff, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Gay Sex, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, I hate tagging, I'm Bad At Tagging, Insecurity, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Danny "Danno" Williams, Protective Steve McGarrett, Shifters!AU, Shifting!AU, Steve McGarrett Needs a Hug, Team as Family, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Top Danny "Danno" Williams, Top Steve McGarrett, Williams clan, Williams kids, sickenly sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-02-22 13:46:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 115,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22217002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunnyqueen/pseuds/Sunnyqueen
Summary: When life fucks you over because of what you are you could do two things: fight it or hide. After one too many times, Danny decides that being under constant pressure to not slip up, of being given side glances day in and day out, he decides to hide who he is, for both his sake and his children.But when the day to tell his team comes, he realises he shouldn't have been as worried as he had been for the last nine years of his life.Will be updated on Fridays.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 410
Kudos: 539





	1. Chapter 1

“No.” Danny said, his tone harsh and holding a finality that was weird in him, his eyes set on his partner. “Absolutely not.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Steve replied, crossing his arms over his chest, as he did when he was feeling offended or attacked, which usually happened at the same time, anyway. “Why not?” 

“Because Steve, you are a pointer, a  _ bird dog. _ ” He turned around when he heard Junior shuffle. “Do not even say it, Junior, because I know for a fact you are a a foxhound.”

“So you don’t think we can do it?” Steve questioned, glaring at the blond.

“No, it’s not that I think you cannot do it. It’s that I  _ know _ you can’t do it. You are not fight dogs and if it were a human fight club, you two would be my first, and obvious, choices. But this is a  _ dog _ fighting club, so no, I’m not letting you go.  _ Either _ of you.”

Lou sighed: he hated it when those two fought, it could take them days to go back to normal, and when Steve and Danny were glaring daggers at each other it caused all of them to be on edge, waiting for the sword to fall. 

“Danny, man, I agree with you, but we need to get in there, and we don’t know any other dog shifter to infiltrate, and you know I would go if I could.” Lou was a Boerboel shifter, but his dog form had been injured years ago by a stray bullet and had serious limp. 

Danny looked at the man, and nodded before turning to Steve. “I do know someone. A fighting dog.”

Steve blinked at him, owlishly: Danny and him moved generally in the same circles and in none of them there was a single fighting dog. “You do?”

“Yes. Wait here.” And with that he went to his office, opened a drawer and put them down in front of Steve.

He took one of them, doing a quick read, frowning the more he read. “Danny, what are these?” He looked up at the blond.

“These are non-disclosure agreements that  _ all _ of you will sign if you want this conversation to go any further.” He explained as he handed them out, taking them from Steve’s hands.

“No, that I understand. What I want to know is why  _ your _ name is the one in here.” He growled, shaking the paper.

Danny glared at him, pushing his shoulders back. “Use your detective skills, Steven,  _ why _ do you think my name is there?”

Steve knew what he was hinting at, but there was no way Danny was a fighting dog. “You are not a shifter. You don’t have tags” He said.

And at Danny laughed, shaking his head. “Correction, none of you has ever seen my tags. Different thing.” He replied as he toed on of his shoes of, bending to pick it up and tilting it until one badge slid out of a compartment on the side of it. “Here.” He handed to Steve.

The brunette frowned at what was written on the reverse: it had “Warning, guard dog.” engraved on it. He turned it around, his eyes widening at the breed.

“You… You are an APBT and a Presa Canario mix?” He breathed, staring at the man in front of him. “Since when?”

“What do you mean since when, you putz?”

“I’m sorry, APBT?” Tani interrupted before they could start.

“American Pitbull terrier.” Junior told her. “Why… Why didn’t you ever tell anyone? Sir.” 

Danny sighed. “Sign the goddamn papers and then we’ll talk.” He was waving his hand, hurrying them to do it.

“Here.” Adam was the first to hand his, signed in his perfect calligraphy. Tani and Lou were next, followed by Junior. Steve was still glaring at the paper.

“Steve, sign it already.” He sighed when Steve didn’t take the pen he was holding. “Look, it’s not because I don’t trust you, you know that. This is a mandatory document issued by the governor, babe.”

“The Governor knows?” He questioned and fuck, Danny could hear the hurt bleeding from him and with a sigh, he grabbed him by the arm and directed them to his office, the rest waiting outside, as they always did.

Danny closed the blinds and leaned against the table, his stance open wide for Steve to walk right into it if he so wanted to. 

“Ok, listen to me, alright? It’s not easy for breeds like me to be accepted into the Police force, if we so much as toe the line we can be thrown out, no chance of getting our badges back. I once switched at home, went to the park, I had my tags on me, and you know what happened? A passerby called Animal Control on me. It took me three months for me to shift again because I was scared of something like that happening again because I knew I could be expelled.” He confessed. “And then I was dragged to this pineapple-infested hellhole of an island and as if that wasn’t hard enough in itself, or HPD giving me the cold shoulder except for Meka, I had Captain Tanaka waiting for me to make a mistake, shift and attack someone so he could fire me and give the detective position to ‘a local who deserved it’.”

Steve was feeling enraged: he knew dangerous dogs and predators had a harder time finding a job in Police, FBI, CIA, DHS and the likes, so most of them turned to the military, but for Danny to live with that insecurity all of his life… That was not something he could forgive easily. He didn’t want to.

But what stung the worse was the fact that Danny didn’t trust them, him, with it. He wondered if anyone else in the island knew, aside from his children and Rachel, the Governor and whoever knew in HPD.

“You… You know I wouldn’t have kicked you out, right? If something ever happened? That I would never threaten you with expulsion?” Danny visibly relaxed and Steve squinted his eyes: did Danny really not know that? Had he been screwed so many times because of what he was that he didn’t know that his partner would never hurt him like this? or hurt him at all. “Fuck, Danny. I’m sorry.”

“You are sorry? What for? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Steve huffed, moving to rest against the table too, plastering his side to Danny’s. “No, obviously I have, because otherwise you would have told me, and you wouldn’t have thought I’d ever kick you out of Five-0 for being what you are.”

The blond sighed softly. “I’m sorry. I did want to tell you but… Look, I trust you more than anyone, you know that, but people have changed once I’ve told them what mix I am. Gracie had problems because of it, so I’ve never let her or Charlie switch outside Rachel’s unless we are in very remote locations or inside my place.”

“Rachel’s also a shifter?” 

“A Red Staffy. Stan’s a Retriever.” He confessed and Steve could hear the smugness in the fact that Stan was seen as a nanny dog. Hell,  _ he _ was feeling smug about it. “It’s the real reason Rachel ever told me about Charlie.”

“He wasn’t… sick?” It made sense, shifters were a lot less likely to get sick.

“No. You know about Presas and Pitbull’s, babe. You need to have a firm hand with us, since a young age, or else we get in trouble. A  _ lot _ of trouble.” Well, there was definitely a story behind that. “And Rachel is a pushover when it comes to our children, and Stan… Well, with being a Retriever there was only much he could do against a Presa/APBT and a Staffy mix. Grace was easy because she was older and had me, but Charlie… He refused to listen to him, would throw tantrums… And when he finally shifted the cat was out of the bag.” He shrugged.

Steve nodded, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Come by the house this weekend. I’d like to… Would it be okay if we went for a run together? Please.”

Danny slumped against him and nodded. “Yeah babe. I’d love that. The Kapu are great, but they are not… pack. And I can’t really run with Charlie and Gracie, so we mostly just play around.”

The SEAL pulled back and stared at him in disbelief: Danny Williams, the man who had trashed Hawaii for all it was for years was accepted within the Kapu shifters. That was a sentence he never thought he’d hear. 

He wasn’t sure if he was more jealous of Danny or the Kapu. 

He was definitely proud of his partner though: he had come such a long way from the angry loud Jersey cop he was when they met. He was still angry ¾ of the time, and loud, and a cop, and from Jersey, but those weren’t the things that defined him anymore. Now he was Danny, his best friend, his partner, the father of the best children he had ever known, and, secretly, the man he was in love with. He was Danny from Five-0, the one who slammed the brakes on all of them whenever they got too rowdy, the one who pulled them back when they were ready to leap into a certain death.

“You run with the Kapu? Since when?” When had Kawika accepted Danny? And how  _ in the hell _ had he missed it?

“Do you remember that case with the guy dead in a shark tank? They burnt Kawika’s house?” He nodded. “Chin and I went to help the Kapu and Kawika to build the house back, and help mend stuff from any other house. I took one of my shoes off because of a pebble, right? And the tag slid out and one of the Kapu saw it and invited me to their monthly run. He told Kawika about it and then, if we are not in the middle of a case, I always join.” He explained.

“I’m glad you found someone to run with, Danno.”

“Hm, me too.” With a smile he pulled away. “We good now?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry I was being a jerk.”

“Don’t worry about it. Sign the papers and I’ll show you all.” 

Without another word, Steve picked up the paper and scrawled his signature on it. “Ok, signed. Now can I see?”

Danny rolled his eyes at him, but of course Steve would want to be the first one to see him in his animal form. He stripped of all clothing, years of knowing each other had put aside and sort of shame they would have ever felt, but even at the beginning of their partnership they had been at ease with each other. Even if Steve hated it because seeing Danny naked was something he had, but touching him was not something he could do, and it drove him crazy.

Once naked he started shift, grunting softly as the bones and cartilage snapped back into place, fur covering him and tail growing.

He shook when he was completely transformed, looking at Steve with blue eyes. 

"God Danny, you are beautiful." He dropped to his knees and stretched his arms out, waiting. It was seen as rude to touch a shifter in their animal form without permission.

Danny woofed softly and walked up to him, setting his flank on his hand, sitting back.

Steve was mesmerized: he had seen predators in the Teams, he had seen leopards, tigers, panthers, even a shark, once. And they were beautiful animals, sleek and deadly, but this was his first time seeing a fighting dog shifter and maybe it was because this was Danny, but he had never seen a more gorgeous animal in his life. His head was bigger than a pitbull’s, but it wasn’t as large or as square as a presa’s. His body was definitely more presa than it was pitbull: all powerful muscles and squared. The fur was short and was a deep gold bridle with minimal stripes and he had the classic white chest mark of a pitbull. His eyes were still the same icy blue he knew and loved. 

He brought his head down, resting it on Danny’s, between his clipped ears, wrapping his arms around in a tight hug. “Never hide something this big from me again, ok?”

Danny pressed harder against him and licked his neck, whether it was an apology or an agreement he wasn’t sure, but knowing the man like he did, it was probably both.

He spent a few more minutes petting him, scratching behind the ears: he wanted to know this form as good as he knew the other. It was then that he saw Danny’s tail wagging softly.

“You like that, huh?” He mumbled. “I promise that when we are done with this whole mess I’ll pet you lots. If you let me.” He added, for good measure.

Danny nodded and pulled away, smiling at him in that typical Pitbull way.

“Cute, Danno. Let’s go with the others, yeah? I’m sure Tani is buzzing off of her skin by now.” He pressed a kiss on his muzzle and pulled up, Danny following him to the door. “You ready for this, right? You don’t have to if…” Danny rolled his eyes at him and pawed at the door. “Ok, then.”

As soon as Danny was outside everyone rushed to him, and Tani was, of course, the first one to crouch down and put her hands up. He sat in front of her, tilting his head in permission. 

“Oh my God Danny, you are gorgeous!” She exclaimed, reverently running her hands from head to flank in back, because no matter how much she wanted to just ruffle him up this was still her boss. 

“Yeah man, how have you been holding us out on this for over 5 years?” Grover exclaimed. Danny didn’t even offer a sound, he just rolled his eyes at the man. “You know, that’s almost creepy.” 

Adam was the next one to go down, sitting on the floor next to Tani and also holding his hands out, a gesture that Danny responded to by licking his right hand.

Steve eyed Junior, who still hadn’t moved an inch, but it wasn’t hard to guess why: Danny went from being the only no-shifter in the room to being the strongest one and for someone with his background, that could shift a lot of terrain for him. He  _ knew _ Junior respected the fuck out of Danny: not only was he one hell of a detective, he was the second in command, something that had never, and would never be up for discussion. But he was also aware he had always seen him only as mildly dangerous. Until now. And that probably shifted his whole view on team dynamics.

Lou hadn’t moved to pet him either, and it didn’t take genius to understand why: shifters form the same family were more reticent to touch stronger members in such a way unless they were closely related out of respect and fear.

Steve, well, he had no problem with patting him and kissing him, telling him how gorgeous he was, Danno was his best friend after all. He shared everything with the man and now that he knew about Danny’s shift, he knew almost everything about the blonde.

“Ok, now that we have our inside man, we need someone to bring him in… Danny, who do you think is the best option here?” Steve questioned and a part of him wanted to be the chosen one, another one didn’t, because seeing Danny get hurt would be too much for him.

Danny looked at all of them and then walked to Adam, sitting by his feet, holding the ex-SEAL’s gaze, daring him to battle him on that.

But he wouldn’t. Not this time. Not when Danny would be completely on his own, without having him as immediate back up.

Adam also seemed to agree, because he gave Danny and a reassuring smile. The Japanese man also made the more sense: he had been in dog fights before, when he still worked for his father, he knew the talk and the terms and more importantly, if they checked if he was a shifter, they would see a snake, not a dog. No shifter would ever bring their animal-cousins to a blood fight.

“Yeah. I agree. Alright, so here’s the plan: Tani, you’ll go inside as Adam’s date. Junior, you’ll go high, Lou and I will be outside with the SWAT, Shifter Unit and Animal Control. The second we have an opening, we go in. If I see you are in trouble, if I sense you are not getting out of there in one piece, we go in hot, alright Danny?” The dog nodded and moved from Adam’s feet to Steve side, pressing against his leg and pushing his head against his hand. “Good.”

“We meet here tomorrow. 11am sharp. Go home, rest well.” 

After everyone had said their goodbyes, it was only Danny and Steve left. Steve was finishing some paperwork and Danny lounged at his feet, apparently asleep, but the second Steve rubbed his eyes, he was back in all fours, nudging Steve’s thigh with his muzzle until he shut his computer down.

“Let’s go, buddy. Are you going to change back?” Danny barked and smiled at him. “Alright then. Your place?” Another happy bark was all answer he got.

* * *

They were sitting on the sofa, Danny draped over Steve’s lap, the brunette petting him and having a beer. This was probably the most relaxed they had been in a long time, but after an hour or so Danny stood up and went to his room, coming back in two legs and wearing only track pants, much to Steve’s pleasure and dismay, beer in hand and he flopped down on the sofa, making himself at home along Steve’s side.

And Steve didn’t mind. Not at all. So he wrapped an arm around his shoulders, squishing him even closer. “You know Danno, I didn’t think you’d be this comfortable in your shift form.”

The blond chuckled. “Babe, just because I never shifted around you, it doesn't mean I didn’t shift at all. I’m usually in paws when I’m home alone and I know nobody is going to drop in on me.” He teased. “I promise I’ll shift more now, ok?”

“I’d like that.” Steve smiled at him and nosed his head, like he did when he was in dog form. “You smell good.”

Danny laughed at that and pressed closer, his whole body shaking with laughter. “Thanks, Steve. You too.” He pushed his nose against his neck and sniffed, softly. “You always smell like the ocean.”

“And you smell like mango.” He replied, falling silent for a moment as his brain picked up on something. “Rachel once said you hated scented shampoos and soaps.” The blond arched an eyebrow at him, obviously waiting for him to make a point. “What I mean is… Have you been using scented soaps to mask the shifter scent?”

“Yeah.” Danny sighed and pulled away, turning around, folding one leg underneath himself to face Steve, who instinctively mirrored his pose. “I know it’s hard for you to understand because we come from different breeds and backgrounds, but for my family, protecting ourselves from prying eyes has always been a top priority. It does not mean, under any circumstances, that I don’t trust you, I’ve told you that.” But knowing his partner as well as he did, he was aware he’d probably think exactly that for the following weeks, so he’d have to repeat it multiple times. Not that he cared, to be honest. “It wasn’t just the Police breathing down my neck and watching my every move, or someone calling AC on me.”

“It had happened before?”

Danny nodded before taking a deep breath. “We used to live in Newark center, we had a nice apartment, before Bridget was born. Pets weren’t allowed, but predator shifters were, so long as there were no problems. New neighbours came in and they were prey shifters, they were bunnies. The uh, the building had a communal garden sort of thing and everyone was allowed in it, so Ma and Pop usually took us there so we could shift and play for a bit.” He rubbed his face and all Steve could do was take his hands in his and squeeze.

“Take your time, D. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere.” And if he could find his way to convince the man, he wasn’t going anywhere tonight. There was no way he would leave Danny by his own before he had to go into a blood fight alone, with only his teeth to fight.

The small, honest smile he got in response made his stomach clench. God, he was so beautiful.

“Thanks, babe.” He turned his hands around and held on Steve’s wrists, the ex-SEAL doing the same. “Stella and I were playing with Matty and chasing each other. Matty uh… He hadn’t shifted yet, so he must have been around 4 or 5 when the bunnies came down to play. They didn’t shift at home, unlike us. So their children saw two puppies playing. They were maybe 7 or 8 and liked to pick on Matty.” He took a deep breath, talking about Matty was hard. Would always be hard. “He hum… He was a soft child, you know. He liked to get along with everyone and some people took advantage of that.”  _ Like Reyes _ , Steve thought. “So they started to bother him, throwing his toys away, you know, the usual. We simply moved near Matty then and they left us alone. But not for long.” He paused for a moment and looked at Steve. “Do you remember when you were a pup and your concentration was all over the place? Couldn’t stay still for two minutes?”

“Yeah. Used to drive Doris crazy.” He smiled at the memory of Doris, running after him and trying to catch him to give him a bath.

“Yeah so… Ma had put this rope at the end of the place for us to play tug of war against the wall. I loved playing that, so when those two walked away I went to play with it. Next thing I know Matty is on the floor, crying and with red cheek so I ran to them, put myself in front of Matty and growled. Then they hit me and I pounced. I didn’t hurt them, they weren’t even shifted, but they went back home saying the crazy dog attacked them for no reason.” He explained. “It didn’t matter to the owners of the building that there had been eyewitnesses that said they attacked first, that they ignored my tags  _ and _ the signs all over the garden that said not to bother the dogs. We were the only dogs in the building Steve, there’s no way they didn’t know it was us.” He shook his head. “We spent two months living split with the rest of our family until we found the place in East Orange, were we always lived from then on. My folks still live there.”

“But… They couldn’t do that! The shifter laws…”

“Were put in place in 1990 in New Jersey and New York.” He finished. “Ma and Pop went to every single rally, every single protest in the area. But anyways, from then on, we never showed our tags, we always wore them hidden from plain sight, it was not something we were proud of. It took me almost 5 months to shift back, because I was afraid we would be kicked out again.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Steve’s chest for a couple of seconds before he started to pull away, and before he could even think what he was doing, Steve let go of one hand and wrapped it around the back of his neck, letting the blond know that he wanted him there. “From then on, I only told my captain and the chief what I was. And the Governor knew when he read my file.”

“But you didn’t tell me.” He understood Danny’s reasons, but it still hurt. “Because you thought I might reject you for what you are. Did I ever say anything? Do anything?” He sounded so distressed that it stunned Danny for a moment: he was not used to Steve being like this.

“No, no, babe, no. You never said or did anything, but I’ve been bitten before and I couldn’t risk losing you. Not just because of the job, Steve. You are my best friend, the closest person I’ve ever been to someone, and yes, that includes Rachel and Melissa, you are the person I trust the most with my children, I know they are safe with you, that you would do anything in your power to keep them safe if something ever happened. And if I lost you, it wouldn’t just be me, do you understand? I had Gracie and Charlie to think about, I couldn’t let them lose their Uncle Steve.” He explained, his head still against Steve solid chest.

“Yeah. Just… never again, ok? Promise me.”

“I promise. I promise.” He mumbled, pressing closer and hugging the man and feeling the other arm wrap around his back.

God, he had longed for this. He had been in love with Steve for so long, he didn't even remember what it felt to  _ not  _ be in love with him. 

Stupid gorgeous man with a heart of gold, making him wake up with a hard on at least once a week and stay up late worried about his health and self-sacrificing ways almost every night.

He felt Steve shift in that way he did when he wanted to say something and was thinking of how to approach it, so he kept quiet until he was ready to talk.

It took a lot longer than he thought it would, minutes ticking by.

He finally took a deeper breath than the others. "Let me stay the night. Please."

Danny snorted, his arms tightening around him; as if it weren't a given that Steve would stay. They always stayed at each others in cases like that, when maybe one if the two would not come out whole. Or alive. But he preferred not to think about that. They used to stay at Steve’s, but ever since Junior moved in with him the long standing tradition —as they refused to call a  _ need _ — had been moved to Danny’s place. "Of course, babe. Take out alright?" 

"Pizza?" Danny hummed in agreement, but didn’t move an inch to get the phone. “There’s no way I can talk you out of tomorrow, is there?”

The blond huffed out a laugh. “No more than I could talk you out of it.”

Steve clicked his tongue and decided that sitting in that position couldn’t be good for the other man, so he let himself fall on his back, dragging the shorter man with him, keeping him against his chest.

And Danny only rolled his eyes and wiggled to get in a better position. “If you wanted to lie down, Steven, you could have just asked.”

“And having to listen to you complain about me taking the whole couch? Not a chance, buddy.” He teased, before nosing the side of his head.

They lay there for some time, arms still wrapped around each other, both of them thinking of how lucky they were to have the other as a partner at work and as best friend outside of it. And that maybe, when Danny came back from the fight they could move forward in their relationship. Lord knew it was nearing 9 years of dancing around the subject, and for the first time since they met each other they were both single, no Catherine, no Gabby, no Lynn, no Melissa and more importantly, in Steve’s eyes, no Rachel.

They had seemed to rekindle after Gracie’s accident, and Steve had feared that was it, that he should have said something sooner, before his chance had ran its course, because for Danny, family always came first, but when he had brought it up two weeks ago, all Danny did was look at him weirdly before he shook his head.

_ “Do you really think I’m that much of an idiot, Steve? There is no way,  _ no way _ , I’m trusting Rachel again with my heart. Fool me once and all that jam. Twice in my case. I know I can trust her with our children’s well being, but more than that? No. And even that is a sometimes.” _

_ “But… You are closer now.” There had not been a single ominous song as Rachel’s ringtone for years now, and the fights had decreased too. “I thought you’d want Gracie and Charlie to have a… a normal family.” _

_ Danny shrugged. “And we’d last what, maybe 7 months? A year? Until Rachel realises that my job hasn’t changed, that if anything, it has only gotten more dangerous? Or until I start missing games and recitals all over again? I already put Grace through one hell of a divorce, and Charlie has been lucky to not have to live it, but his family has already been broken once. There’s no way I’m doing this to my children again. However, I get more time with them when Rachel is not dangling my visitation rights over my head like a guillotine.” He turned and at smirked at him. “Besides, who’d take care of you, huh?” _

He never replied to that, stunned into silence. And maybe that should have been a clue of how much he meant to Danny. 

“Danno?”

“Hm?”

“Who is pack?” 

Danny pulled up, essentially doing a plank over him and fuck, that was hotter than he thought. His face was scrunched in a frown, his eyes trained on Steve’s face. “What?”

“Before. You said that running with the Kapu was great, but that they weren’t pack. So who  _ is _ pack? Gracie, Charlie and Eric? The family back in New Jersey?” Ice blue eyes stared at him before he nodded, not even making a single sound. “I see.”

Shit. That  _ hurt.  _

Because the first person Steve ever considered pack when he came back from the SEALs, had been Danny. He hadn’t cared that the man was, supposedly, a regular human. 

Then Kono and Chin also became pack. 

Lou was a strange one, because he did have a central pack with his family, so he was in the orbit. Adam became pack through marriage, but he had been like Lou, coming and going. But when they divorced he really became part of it. Tani and Junior had become part of it immediately: Junior couldn’t go back to his, and Tani had lost their dad, and with Koa struggling with drugs their relationship had become almost non existent. 

“You cannot be this dumb, can you?” Danny shook his head, staring at him with disbelief.

“What?”

Danny chuckled and nuzzled the side of his head, like Steve usually did to him, now that he didn’t have to hold back. “If you wanted to know if  _ you _ are pack, you should have just asked, babe.” He said.

Steve groaned internally: of course Danny would see right through him. It was Danny, for God’s sake! He swallowed before wetting his lips. He knew Danny as much as the Danny knew him, and he had enough experience with his tones to know what he wanted him to do now.

He wanted him to ask, directly.

“Then, am I? Am I part of your pack?”


	2. Chapter 2

_**“Then, am I? Am I part of your pack?”** _

Danny sighed and smiled, soft and sweet, like when Charlie was telling him about what he had done in school, or Gracie acted like a child again. “You absolute putz. Babe, you’ve  _ always _ been pack. You’ve been pack ever since you got Jameson to slam the brakes on Stan.” He pressed a kiss high on his cheek. “You are the only thing I’ve ever been sure of since I moved here, Steve. If you decided to move somewhere else, go find Catherine or whatever, I wouldn’t last much longer.” Danny pulled back and sat back, tugging him to follow and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck.

The ex-SEAL blinked in surprise at those words: He had stayed for Danny. When he accepted the position and Five-0 his idea had been to find Hesse and go back to the SEALs, but then Danny appeared, defying his word at every turn, telling him off more often than not, bringing down every single wall he had built around his heart for the previous twenty years. 

Thinking back, he had done the same for Danny, showing him that he _did_ have a place in the island with him and the cousins, that he was wanted and valued in the team. He still had a hard time believing that HPD had given him up so quickly just because he was a _haole_. He had read his file before going to find him: he had had one of the highest crime rate solvings back in New Jersey. Him and Meka had been one of the best teams in HPD. It was no wonder why Danny _hated_ Hawaii back then: he had no family, no friends but Meka and Amy, Rachel had been trying her hardest to make sure he couldn't see his baby girl and he couldn't even do what he loved the most in the world because he was from the mainland. And most importantly, he had no pack. Even when he was in the SEALs Steve had a pack, his team had been his pack. It had been in the loosest of terms, but still. Danny hadn't even had that. And not being able to tell anyone that he was, in fact, a shifter made it all the more difficult for him.

And hearing him say that Steve had been pack from almost the very beginning, made him fall in love even more with the blond. 

“Steve, babe, I thought you knew.” Danny mumbled, staring at him, taking in his dumfounded expression. And that just told him how bad he had been at demonstrating what the man meant to him. Platonic or not, the man meant everything to him.

“Knew what?”

He was still smiling, even if it had a hint of sadness and remorse now. “That you and the kids are the most important people in my life.”

Steve felt his eyes well up. After Joe’s death, the one parental figure he had since he was 15, the only person who stood by him and nursed him back to health had been Danny. And of course he knew he was important for his partner! The man had given up his chance to go back to Jersey with his family for him. Had organised a strike team with Joe to get him out of a situation he had told him not to walk into. He had gone fetch him in Afghanistan. He had been there the second he heard about Joe’s passing.

He considered Steve as important as his own children. Not a hopeful second or a distant third. He was first. With Grace and Charlie.

Oh fuck it. To hell with waiting. To hell with talking, too, it had never been his strong suit to begin with.

Without giving Danny a second to react, he pressed their lips together. And before he even had time to think about it being a mistake, Danny tightened his hold on his nape, telling him everything was alright with them. No mistakes made there.

He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead on Danno’s.

“You have to come back to me tomorrow.”

The blond snorted at that. “Like I wasn’t going to. You and the kids, babe. You and the kids.” He moved and kissed him again, deeper this time, but still without tongue. “We don’t rush this, ok? We go with the flow, whatever happens, happens.” Danny mumbled, his lips still brushing Steve’s when he spoke.

“Yes, yes. It’s… It’s not about sex, Danno.” He paused for a second. “Not entirely, at least.” 

Danny laughed at that, open and deep and God, he loved that sound, as cheesy and cliché as it sounded. “You think I haven’t seen you checking my ass, babe?” He pushed closer again, resting his head on his shoulder,  nose right on his neck, breathing deep.

Steve sputtered for a moment: he was not used to people calling him out on stuff like this. Mostly because most of them were not great detectives.

“Like you haven’t eyed me when I’m changing shirts.” He shot back, but even to his own ears it sounded like a soft accustation.

“Of course I have. Have you seen yourself lately babe? Fucking gorgeous.”

“Yeah well, I’m not the only one.” He mumbled into his hair, smiling into it. “You know that if you get hurt tomorrow I’m moving in until you are fine, right?  _ Especially _ now.”

Danny sagged against him, and nodded. He didn’t want to have it any other way. Not now that they had each other. Finally. After almost a decade, he could say he had Steve McGarrett. And Steve had him.

And the worst thing, is that he might only have him for less than a day, because he was going in blind. Going into a wrestling match with a human was one thing, going against a feral dog fighting for his life? That was a whole other realm.

“Can we talk about tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course, Danno.” He moved until Danny had his legs wrapped around him. “What is it?”

“If anything happens to me and… and I uh, I don’t make it out…”

“Don’t say that! You  _ are  _ coming out!” He exclaimed: he was not going to lose him, not now, not when they had finally done what was right for them, not when he could finally make his partner as happy as he deserved! He grabbed his by the shoulders, squeezing tight. “I can’t lose you!” He said desperately, almost wanting to shake the man.

“I know! I should be ok, but fighting dogs…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "And you know I will do everything in my power to come back to you and the kids, but in case something does happen and I don’t, please promise me you’ll still be there for my kids.”

Well, it was almost insulting that Danny thought he had to ask for this. “Of course I will, Danny!” He didn't add that maybe the children would blame him, for not protecting their Danno. “I love Gracie and Charlie as if…” He faltered, not knowing how his partner would take it, but they were in this together now, had been for the better part of a decade. “As if they were my own.” 

Whatever reaction he had expected the blond to have, Danny growling and pushing him backwards onto the sofa to ravish him had not been one. Not that he was complaining, no sir.

He brought one hand up to Danny’s head, tangling his fingers in the blond strands and kept it there, just a sure weight on the other man. Steve shivered when Danny swept his tongue inside his mouth, not giving him an ounce leverage to turn the tables in his favour.

Not that he wanted to. Not really. It was nice to be taken like this, instead of doing the taking all the time. 

After a few more seconds Danny pulled up, his face wonderfully red and his eyes blown and breathing hard.

“How did I get so lucky, huh?” He muttered, thumb brushing against his cheekbone, tracing a very faint scar. So faint, that Steve himself forgot about it sometimes.

“I ask myself the same question every night, Danno.” He grinned at him. “Grace, Charlie and you are everything to me. You are my family.”

“And you are mine, babe.” He pressed another kiss on his lips before he pushed away, standing up. “I’m feeling gracious today, so I’ll let you put pineapple on your pizza.”

At that, Steve laughed, following him to the kitchen and sitting down on the counter.

“Are you telling me all I needed to do to eat whatever I want was date you?” He questioned.

“Nope, it's to keep me happy.” He replied, walking right into his space. “And even then, it’s only for special occasions.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He was happy that Danny was talking about a future together, because that meant he wasn’t thinking about dying tomorrow or coming up with the worst scenarios possible.

* * *

Dinner had gone by as it usually did: with them sitting in front of the TV watching a pre-recorded game from the previous week and the only real difference was that now they sneaked kisses in between and that Danny snuggled closer than usual. 

“We should probably go to sleep.” Steve said as soon as the game finished, his thumb drawing circles on Danny’s shoulder.

“You are right.” He smiled at him and stood up, dropping a kiss on his lips. Because he could. “Do you want water?” He questioned as he started to go to the kitchen.

“No, thanks. I’m good.” Steve replied as he stretched to get the thick blanket Danny kept on the crate next to the sofa and a pillow. He got comfortable and listened how his partner washed the glass he had just used and something else.

It always relaxed him. It made him feel at home. And maybe, now, he finally was home. 

He heard Danny putter in the fridge, doing something or other before he felt the light switch off and the one in the hallway flicker on. He heard him go to his room and then abruptly stop. He probably forgot his phone in the kitchen, but the steps were going the wrong way, they were getting louder. Oh well, maybe he had left it on the coffee table.

“What are…? Steve, what in the hell are you doing?” He opened his eyes at the words, looking up at him.

“S… Sleep?”

Danny huffed and crossed his arms around his chest, muscles straining and _damn_ was that a view. “Yes, that I, uh, I can see. What I want to know is why you are not sleeping in my room.”

Steve’s eyes widened at those words and he could feel his love for the man grow inside of him. “You want us… to sleep on the same bed?”

Danny rolled his eyes and tugged at him. “Babe, I’ve been dreaming of sharing a bed with your for years now. And I don’t mean only the sex. Unless you… don’t want to?”

“No! No, I want to. I very much want to.” He flung the blanket aside and scrambled to his feet, taking Danny’s hand in his and bending to kiss his cheek. “I thought that maybe you didn’t…”

Danny grunted and started walking, never letting Steve’s hand go. “Get in there, you putz.” 

Steve grinned at him and moved to the bed, crawling to the left side, knowing Danny favoured the right and slipping inside the covers, sighing softly when his back hit the mattress. So much better than the couch. And then Danny was right next to him, resting his head on his shoulder and throwing a leg over his, kissing his neck.

“Good?” Danny mumbled.

“Great.” He replied in the same manner before he kissed him. “Good night, Danno.”

“Good night babe.”

* * *

When Steve woke up the next morning he felt disoriented for a few seconds until he took in his surroundings and then the memories of last night flooded into him, which begged the question of where Danny was. He got out of the bed and went into his search for the blond man.

It was a very short search.

He was sitting on the sofa and was on the phone. 

“No, Gracie, nothing is going to happen, but in case it does… Yes, of course I’m going to be careful, baby. Just… promise me you’ll take care of Uncle Steve, yes?” He paused for a few second before smiling. “That’s my girl. Danno loves you, too.”

Steve made his way towards him, sitting down and kissing him on the cheek. “Everything alright?”

Danny smiled at him before cuddling in close. “Yeah. I just… I wanted to… you know, remind them I love them, in case…”

He wrapped an arm around him. “Everything will be fine, I promise. I’m not letting you go, not now.” He told him, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips. “Have you had breakfast?” Danny shook his head. “Think you can keep it down?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, babe. I kinda hoped you’d make me pancakes.” He replied, shooting his own version of puppy eyes.

“Blueberry and chocolate chips?” The blonde nodded. “You got it Danno.”

* * *

They had spent the day checking on their weapons, going through the plan multiple times with the SWAT teams at their disposal and before they realised it, it was 7pm and they were all gearing up to go out. 

Steve was kneeling in his office, holding Danny’s head on his hands, his forehead resting on his. He had been lounging on his office, watching the man work, tail swishing contentedly all the time. He hadn't even switched back for lunch.

“You come back to us, you hear me? To me.” He mumbled and Danny licked his cheek. “Good. I love you.” Danny whined and moved closer. “Good luck, Danno.”

He let him go and Danny pawed at the half open door and moved to Adam, letting the man slip a collar and chain around him. “That good?” The snake shifter asked and the dog nodded. “Alright.” He gave him a head rub before turning around. “Tani, are you ready to leave?”

“Yes! Just a second!” She was changing in her and Junior’s office, and came out dressed in leather shorts, a tube top and a denim jacket. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she was wearing the biggest hoops any of them had ever seen.

Steve smirked at Junior’s awestruck look, but said nothing: it wasn’t the time nor the place. And he really had no room to talk.

“Alright, ready to go!” She grinned and took Danny’s leash, the dog barking happily before following her outside.

* * *

Danny had spent all day in dog form to make the shifter smell less pronounced and so far, it seemed to have worked, because none of the animals _or_ shifters in the room had looked or barked at him weirdly, just to take in his appeareance, most of them taking a step back when he lookd at them, showing his teeth. Spending all they in his animal form had also helped him to get in the right frame of mind, so it came naturally to growl at the guy at the entrance, pulling at the leash.

“Well, he certainly has spirit.” Ito said, eyes on the beast by their feet. “He doesn’t have scars.” He pointed out and for one second, Danny thought they had been found out, but Adam just took in stride.

He chuckled depreciative, looking at the other dogs. “And why do you think that is? I  _ know _ how to train my dog. And care for him, which is something your trainer, apparently, doesn't do too well.” He was right, there were a lot of dogs with nasty cuts and infected wounds, and there were a few that looked on the verge of being overfed.

"You better watch your mouth or else..." Ito started, but a growl from Danny made him rethink his movements.

“Look, are we in or not? We’ve got better things to do.” Tani interrupted, arching an eyebrow and staring the guy down.

Ito glared at her before turning back to Adam. “Maybe you should train your woman too, Hironaka, before I break that pretty face of hers.” He moved closer and extended an arm to touch her, going for her face.

“Danny.” And Danny pounced as Adam let go of the leash taking the Ito-guy down and getting right in his face, strong teeth displayed, a deep growl rumbling on his chest. “You were saying?” Adam continued.

“Get him off me!” Ito shrieked when Danny pressed his paws harder against his chest.

“You. Were. Saying.”

“Yes! Yes! You are in!” He screeched and Adam whistled at him, and with a last growl he pulled back and went back to his ‘owners’, sitting by their feet. “Fights will start in 30min, I’ll get him a slot. He’ll make us good money, doesn’t matter if he wins or becomes dead meat.”

* * *

“I’m not the only seeing this, right?” Junior questioned, his eyes trained on the fight happening below him.

“Certainly not.” Lou replied, just as dumbfounded as the rest of the team.

Because Danny was fighting like he had done it before. 

Steve knew about his boxing days thanks to Eric sending that photo to everyone when they first met him and then, during one of Danny’s movings, he found a pair of old gloves in a box and asked about it.

But boxing and dog fighting were two  _ very  _ different things and it was clear as day that Danny had done this before. A lot. He had won three fights now and had yet to receive a powerful bite. He hadn’t killed any of the other dogs, he could have, but it would have wreaked him to kill someone from his family, so in the end the other dogs had either passed out from pain and exhaustion or submitted to him, which enraged part of the public and made the other part cheer. 

At least it backed up Adam’s _very_ bold statement.

Every time a fight finished, Tani dropped to pet him, checking him for injuries at the same time, telling the team whatever he found to make sure Danny couldn't skip the ambulance later on. For all that the Jersey man complained about his partner being too careless with his injuries, he wasn't that much better.

“Did you know about it, Steve?” Lou questioned, his voice low and his hand on his arm. The man had been buzzing with pent up energy and worry the second, Adam, Tani and Danny had headed outside.

“Lou, I didn’t even know he was  _ shifter  _ until yesterday, of course I didn’t know about this.” He grunted out, his eyes never leaving Danny, watching how he sunk his teeth on the other dog’s flank. Why was Danno still keeping secrets?

“Boss, Ito is going to the back with a couple guys and Rubio.” Tani’s voice cut whatever answer Lou had ready.

Rubio was the main provider for that night, and none of his supposedly top notch dogs could even get to Danny. He was probably not going to live another day.

“Yeah, I see him to. And Luto is going, too.” Adam added. “Just say when.”

“ Try and get close don't go until I say so. And keep an eye on Danny.” He ordered. “Junior, get ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

Steve and Lou got out of the van and called for all of the SWAT teams.

“Alright everyone listen up. Team 1, on the roof with Officer Reigns, you are on his mark. Team 2 on Captain Grover, you hit the rear. Team 3 on me. Team 4 you are staying outside with Animal Control and Shifter Unit. HPD has set up a perimeter in case someone slips by.” He leveled them with hard eyes before he continued. “We have three of our own inside: Investigator Adam Noshimuri and Officer Tani Rey are on their human forms. You all have seen the photograph of the dog, am I correct?” A chorus of ‘Yes sir’ and ‘Yes Commander’s answered him. “That dog is Detective Danny Williams, most of you already know him.”

“I’m sorry Commander; Detective Williams is a shifter?” Jackson questioned. He had known the Five-0 task for since his junior years and had been made captain after Lou was forced out of the force.

“Yes. We were recently made aware of this. Anyhow, he has been on his animal form most of today and he is  _ not _ to be shot with bullets, only with a sedative and that is only if we can’t reach him and he reacts violently.  _ Am I clear? _ ” He growled out.

“Yes sir!”

“Alright. Every other animal that reacts adversely to our orders can and will be shot. Non-lethal, unless your own lives are in danger. You have permission to shoot both predator and prey shifters, we are not here to play nice or make distinctions. Now, on position.”

They were quick to assume their position and on Steve’s count to three, they are barged in at once. “Five-0, stay where you are!” 

It was guns blazing, people screaming and animals rushing everywhere from there. 

Team 1 and Junior were taking care of the flying shifters trying to escape.

He could see Danny still in the fighting pit, pinning one of the few humans in there and cornering another three just by growling and showing his definitely impressive teeth at them, crouched and ready to jump at a moments notice.

_ “Steve, you’ve got a bull coming your way!” _ Lou yelled through the comms.

And Steve saw it, charging straight towards them, and before he could even tell his team someone had put a bullet on his front legs, looking up he saw Junior and another SWAT already retreating. 

“Thank you, Junior!” He yelled.

_ “Jesus, don’t yell like that, boss! You are going to leave us all deaf!” _ Tani replied. _ “Adam and I are done here, we have all of them zip tied. I’ll go with Danny, although he seems to have it all under control.” _

“Copy. I know it’s Danny and he seems alright, but be careful.” Steve advised.

_ "Right."  _

When Tani got there, Danny spared her a glance before moving away from the perps and letting her do the job.

"Thanks Danny." She scratched him behind the ears and he tilted his head, but his teeth were still beared at the four little shits in front of him. "Why don't you go to boss man? See if you can help him out there, Adam and I have it under control.”

He nodded and with one last growl to the already spooked humans he went to Steve, who was already done and regrouping with Team 3. He pushed against his hand and barked to get his attention.

“Danno.” The Commander dropped to his knees to hug him close, ignoring the people behind him; it wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before, anyways, it just happened that Danny was a dog. “Good job tonight, but you know we need to talk, right?” The dog whined and lowered himself to the floor, looking up at him from his position. “Yeah, puppy eyes are not going to work, baby.” He scratched him behind the ears and dropped a kiss on his head, smiling at the wagging tail. “Has everyone wrapped up?”

_ “Yeah, we are done here.” _

_ “Us too, sir.” _

_ “I’ve got Duke coming in to take mine and Tani’s guys.”  _

“Perfect. Let’s re-group and let AC and SU do their thing.” He stood up and Danny raised to his paws with him, staying next to him all the time. “And you, are going straight to the ambulance, I don’t like those bites on you, they could get infected.” Danny rolled his eyes at him, but followed dutifully, pressed against his leg and refusing to look at any of the SWAT.

Steve pressed a hand against the back of the furry head, knowing that Danny was starting to come to his senses and probably realising that there were a lot of people around him who now knew his tightly guarded secret. 

Lou and Tani were already by their van when they got there and Lou was talking with Pua, so the only ones missing were Adam, who was probably still with Duke and Junior.

“Danny, ma man, you have been holding out too much from us!” The man exclaimed as Tani knelt on the floor to pamper him again with scratches and kisses once more. For a cat, she liked cuddling Danny a lot.

The dog leant into Tani’s petting, Steve still a solid presence against him, when he picked a scent behind the bushes and without warning anyone he dashed towards it, leaving his partner behind, calling for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Danny leant into Tani’s petting, Steve still a solid presence against him, when he picked a scent behind the bushes and without warning anyone he dashed towards it, leaving his partner behind, calling for him.**

He didn’t think about it, he pounced on the female coyote hiding in there, sending her tumbling against a large tree trunk, pulling a pained whine form her. A quick sniff through the air and he picked up Junior's scent coming their way.

That bitch wanted to injure the pup.

She got up again and looked around, confused at who had thrown her in such a brutal way before her golden eyes settled on Danny and she growled deep in her chest, wary; she wasn't an experienced shifter, her animal form was usually enough to ward off anyone who thought of going against her. And there weren't that many dogs that could and would go against her, but that one there was a beast, she had seen him fight in the pit and he hadn't lost on single fight and she was just now picking on the shifter scent which meant he was police.

Well, she was already going down for being in a dog fight and for attempting to hurt another officer, she might as well take another one down.

They stared at each other, teeth bared, growling and snapping at each other. He could hear Steve barking orders at Junior and his SWAT team and guns cocking.

The coyote suddenly charged onto him and tried to slash him across the face, but Danny was quick and managed to avoid getting hurt in the face, but she still caught him on his front paw. She turned around, but this time Danny was ready and quick as a blur he managed to dodge and and sink his teeth on her back, pinning her to the ground and before she could wiggle her wait out, he sunk his teeth on the back of her neck to immobilise her, biting harder when she tried to resist.

“Danny!” Both Junior and Steve arrived at the same time, guns cocked and ready to shoot if needed. “Junior.”

“Yes sir.” He trained his gun on the resisting coyote. “Stop resisting. I will shoot if you don’t stop resisting Detective Williams' hold on you.” To prove a point, Danny growled into his bite, jostling her in the process.

The coyote whimpered and seemed to stop struggling, but Danny wouldn’t let her go until he was sure she would not attack them. He heard more than saw someone from SU fire a tranquilizer, and when she went completely limp he let her go.

“Danny, on me.” Steve ushered him to his side and he headed there, favouring his left front paw. “Junior, take care of this, please?”

“Of course, sir.” He nodded and locked eyes with Danny before he knelt, his hand hovering over the cop and Danny barked softly in permission, his tail wagging when the young man patted his flank, softly. “Thank you, sir.” He said and all he got in return was a huff and a harsher bark than before. “Danny.”

Steve rolled his eyes at them. “I’ll send Lou over with you, and you and SWAT can do a quick swipe of the area.”

“Alright. I’m sorry, I should have detected it…” He started, looking from Steve to Danny and back to Steve not knowing what to say and to whom.

He didn't want to disappoint either of them; because Steve was their boss and he had been one of the best SEALs, everyone who knew him in The Teams had said so and as a SEAL himself he felt the need to prove himself to him, to _show_ him that he had made the call when he hired him. And Danny was the one who they all turned to the second they had a problem, knowing the man would be there for there, be it at work or personal problems. And if they had a doubt at work they would all go to him for guidance, Steve included. He was their second for a reason, Steve would have _never_ taken an incompetent person as his partner and today just proved it further. The fact that he was able to spend almost all day in his shift form, fighting and without letting his animal side take over just said everything about the man's self-control, he knew SEALs who had trouble doing that. _He_ had trouble doing that, and his form wasn't even as dangerous as Danny's breed.

“Don’t sweat it, Junior. None of us did, either. Only Danno did, and probably because he's in paws.” He scratched the Detective on the head and straightened up again. “Let’s go Danno, I want an EMT to check you and see if we can go home or if you need to go to the hospital.” The dog growled at him at that. “Oh no, you don’t baby. You pester me about it all the time, so it’s only fair. I left you clothes in HPD’s van, so you can change back, yeah?” The dog nodded and barked softly at him before he parted ways with his partner and headed to the mentioned vehicle.

“Steve, everything alright? What happened?” Adam questioned when he saw him come back alone. “Where’s Danny?”

“Shifting back. There was a shifter waiting for Junior, Danny sniffed her out. SU has her under control. Lou, would you mind doing a quick swipe of the place with him and SWAT? Take Tani with you.”

“Sure. Let’s go rookie.” He gestured to her and she looked down at her very nice, very impractical clothes.

“Give me a couple minutes and I’ll shift. I’ve got better vision that way.” She said as she went into the van to shift into her animal form.

“Sure, sure.”

“Great. Adam, can you go with HPD and oversee the whole thing? They can keep Rubio and everyone else, but I want Ito and Luto in rendition, they can spend the whole night there and stew for a while. I want Danny to get checked by an EMT and by the time he shifts back he’s going to be dead, so we’ll deal with them tomorrow.”

“You got it.” And with that the Japanese man walked to Duke at the same time Tani came back in her animal form, a large tabby Maine Coon.

“Alright, let’s get going.” Lou patted Steve on the shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on him not telling us, alright? He’s already had to tell us and let everyone else see his shift.”

“Yeah, I know.” He honestly didn’t want to fight with Danny. Not now. At most, he was going to tease him about it and make sure he knew he could tell Steve anything, shift-related, or not. “Text me when you are done.”

“You got it.”

And with that, he was alone. He left the tac-gear inside the Camaro and headed to his partner, who was already sitting on the rear of an ambulance and waiting for an EMT to come check up on him. He was swaying slightly and looked like he was going to fall asleep at any moment's notice. He had a nasty gash on his neck and his face was starting to show some bruises, but nothing life threatening.

“Danno.” He pressed a soft kiss on his head and wrapped an arm around his uninjured shoulder to keep him upright, sitting next to him. “You alright?”

“Exhausted.” He mumbled, leaning more heavily on to him, pushing his nose against his neck and breathing in his scent.

“I know. You really did great today, baby.” He whispered, waving at an EMT to them. “If they give you the green card, we’ll head straight home.”

Danny nodded at that. “Don’t we need to go to HPD? Interrogate them? Is everyone ok?”

Steve smiled: one of the things he loved the most about Danny was how he always worried about everyone. 

“Yeah Danno, everyone is ok. Thanks to you. And don’t worry about everything else: Lou is swiping the area for more strays with Tani, Junior and two SWAT teams and I sent Adam to HPD to oversee the whole operation. We’ll keep Ito and Luto in rendition until you and I can go in tomorrow. We can go once you wake up, no alarms, sounds good?”

“Sounds great, babe. Thank you.” Steve only shook his head and tightened his hold. “EMT is here.”

“Detective Williams, Commander McGarrett! Just the other day we were talking it was a long time we hadn’t seen you with us.” The EMT, a late thirties woman greeted them, smiling. 

“We saw you two weeks ago, Taylor.” Steve replied as he stood up.

“And with you two that’s a long time.” She replied, still all smiles. “I’m going to need you to remove your pants and shirt, detective.”

He blinked, his brain taking longer than usual to understand the words. “Oh. Right.” 

Steve was right next to him before his feet hit the ground, helping him out of his pants first and then pulling the t-shirt up, sucking in a deep breath when he saw the myriad of blooming bruises around his torso. He cursed under his breath as he stood up.

“Fuck, Danny. You should have said something!”

“Been worse, you know that.” He mumbled as he sat back on the bed.

“That doesn’t really help, but ok.” He said before he stepped back, letting Taylor do her job. 

She cleaned the very few scratches and bite marks he had and gave him enough shots to prevent him from getting any of the more common infections related to both humans and dogs.

“I would advise two weeks of taking it easy and four days of bed rest, but I know you’ll be back to work tomorrow, so please try to not get shot, alright?”

“Will do.” Danny grinned at her. “I can go home, then?”

“Yes. But I want you to check with your doctor next week. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go see if I’m needed elsewhere.”

“Sure, thanks Taylor.” Steve clapped her on the back before moving to his partner. “Here, let me help.” He took the shirt from a struggling Danny and helped him into it, doing the same with his pants. “Shoes?” He scanned the area, but with how dark it was he could not distinguish them from the dark grass.

“Didn’t put them on. Feels weird after shifting for so long.” Danny mumbled.

“Ok. Let’s go, then.” He stood up and wrapped an arm around his middle, steering him to the Camaro. “Do you wanna go to mine or to yours?”

“Can we go to yours? Wanna be… in…” He yawned, blue eyes disappearing behind tight eyelids, barely opening again. “your room.”

“Sure, baby.” His heart soared at that: Danny, who probably still had his dog instincts high in his mind and would probably want to go to his own place, decided that he wanted to be at Steve’s. Surrounded by Steve’s smell. “Whatever you want. Are you hungry? We can pick something on our way home.”

“A burger? And fries.”

“Sure.” He took a left to Burger King and ordered Danny’s prefered items, Danny not even bothering to try and order it himself. “Here, Danno.” He gave him the bag and smiled at the blond. “Start eating, yeah?”

“We are… in the car.” 

“I know, but you look like you’ll fall asleep at any minute. Besides, you’ve earned it. Eat.”

Danny nodded and did as told, by the time they reached Steve’s house the burger and the fries were long gone. Steve parked the Camaro and rounded the car, helping Danny out and inside, the cop becoming heavier and heavier in his arms at each passing minute. 

He led him to the ensuite and left Danny alone to get cleaned up and for him to do his business while he went to the guest’s bathroom to do the same. When he came back Danny was struggling to get out of the shirt. He had already dropped his pants to his ankles.

“Hey, hey, you could have asked for help.” He said as he helped him out of his shirt again. Carefully, he peeled it from him and put it on a chair. C’mon, get inside.”

He helped him get under the covers and then changed his clothes and lay next to him, rolling him to his uninjured shoulder to cuddle him close.

“I love you, Danno.” He whispered before he pressed a kiss on his lips.

“I love you too, babe.” Even half asleep, he still gave him a smile and pushed to return the kiss, almost missing his mouth. “Good night.”

“Good night.” He moved closer and wrapped an arm around his waist, careful of the bruising and pressed a kiss on his head. 

* * *

Steve woke up a couple of hours later when Junior came back and he carefully left the bed, trying to not jostle his partner and accidently wake him. 

“Junior.” The kid looked like he was trying to sneak into the house, going as far as to tiptoe around. It reminded him of that time they caught Charlie sneaking out of his room to get some extra Halloween candy, not aware that Danny and Steve were having beers on the lanai. “How’s everything?”

“Sir!” He turned around and stood straight in front of him. “Everything went smoothly, sir. We didn’t find any other shifter in the area and Adam called to let us know that Ito and Luto are in custody in the Palace, as ordered.”

“That’s great. I’m sorry I left you guys alone.” He said.

Junior was quick to shake his head. “We understand, sir. Detective Williams was exhausted and would never have let us give him a ride. Or force him into the ambulance.” Well, the kid was right. Danny was stubborn like that and after the stunt he pulled years prior when their plane was shot, the whole team understood that Danny was not the only one who pulled the other back in their relationship. 

“Yeah, you can say that. Lou would definitely agree.” He snickered. “Why were you sneaking into the house, though?"

“Oh, I didn’t mean to wake you up, sir.” The ex-SEAL rolled his eyes at him at the use of the honorific. One day. One day he would get Junior to drop it.

Steve dismissed him with a wave of his hand, sitting down on the couch, Eddie falling over him as he kept sleeping. “Don’t worry about it, Danny is not going to wake up, he’s as good as dead until tomorrow morning.”

“Oh. Detect… Danny is here?”

Steve had a tendency to forget that Junior and Tani had just met them barely year ago and that unlike Lou and Adam they weren’t used to Danny’s and his relationship and everything that came with it. Chin and Kono had never batted an eye when they decided to stay together after a bad case, Adam had witnessed it from the sides and through Kono’s stories and Lou had just taken it on stride. Tani and Junior had just accepted it as something their bosses did, but every now and then, they would do things like that and that would surprise them again.

“Where is he sleeping? Mary’s old room?” 

Because he clearly wasn’t sleeping on the sofa, and Mary’s old room had basically been Grace’s room when she was growing up. He turned to look at Steve and he blinked at the colour rising to his cheeks.

“Sir?”

Steve swallowed, suddenly a nervous wreck. “Well, no, he… Hum…” He didn’t think Junior was going to be against him and Danny together, he hadn’t even lived through DADT that much, but he knew there were a lot of people in the Navy in favour of bringing it back.

“Why are you two gossiping like old ladies in the dark?” They both whipped around to look upstairs, where Danny was leaning over the railing and staring down at them. “Can’t even leave you out of my sight for five minutes, Steven.”

“Did we wake you up? I’m sorry Danno, I…”

“Am coming back to bed? Perfect, let’s go then.” He shifted his eyes to the other man downstairs. “And you, Junior Reigns, are filthy. Go grab a shower, eat something and go to bed. Whatever questions you’ve got, we can answer tomorrow. Right now I’m tired, hurting and my very warm blanket disappeared for some reason, so chop-chop, get moving.” And with that he went back to Steve room. “Now!” He yelled, for good measure, in his ‘I mean it’ father voice.

And Junior almost sprang up, causing Steve too chuckle, patting him on the back. “That’s the dad in him talking, don’t worry. However, do as he says, because he is very right.”

“Yes sir. Good night.”

“Good night, Junior. And don’t worry about tomorrow, we don’t have to go in early, you can catch a ride with us, if you want.” 

“Yeah, I’d like that sir.”

“Great, but you call me sir one more time at home and I’m making you go back to the Academy.” He threatened as he started to climb the stairs.

He climbed back into the bed, hugging Danny from behind. 

“Sorry baby, didn’t mean to wake you up, I promise.” He mumbled, pressing a kiss behind his ear. “Do you want something for the pain?”

“Already took one pill. Come closer.” Danny mumbled, tugging on his arm until Steve was plastered against his back. "Just… stay?" 

"Always, Danno. Not letting you go. Ever. You or the kids." He pressed another kiss on his head.

"Yeah? Right back at ya, babe. Now shush and sleep." Steve only snickered before he did just that.

* * *

Next time Danny woke up was to a hand running up and down his spine and to a falling and rising chest under him. 

"Good morning, Danno."

He looked up and blinked at the man under him. He looked drop-dead gorgeous first thing in the morning: eyes still slightly bleary with sleep, his short hair a mess and so very warm under him.

"G'd morning babe… What time is it?" He questioned, looking around and starting to move away.

"Almost 9. Where are you going? Come back here." He wrapped his arms around his back and pushed him back onto him, careful to not hurt him.

"Don't want to crush you, babe." He mumbled, but still made himself at home, bringing his hands to Steve's chest and setting his chin on them, looking into beautiful blue hazel eyes.

Steve shook his head at him. "You aren't. I like having you here. How are you feeling?"

"Like a truck ran me over, but I haven't slept this good in years, so that's gotta count for something, right?"

Steve swallowed at that small revelation, but said nothing, prefering to just get the topic about the fight out of the way.

Danny sighed before rolling into his less injured side, one arm thrown carelessly around his midsection.

"There isn't that much about it babe. Running in Newark wasn't that easy, and I couldn't always go to NYC to the weekly runs in Central Park, so I went to the fights that were organised in our neighbourhood." He explained. "And I do spar every now and then with the Kapu, it’s not only running. I actually meant to tell you, but then you started to talk about pack and you kissed me and well, my brain sort of turned to mush there, babe."

Oh.

Oh.

That was a very different thing that hiding it from him.

"I promised, didn't I? No more secrets." He smiled and moved to kiss him.

As carefully as he could to not hurt Danny much, Steve flipped their positions, hovering over him, lips still attached. When they finally pulled away he kissed him on the forehead. "Can I ask you something?" Danny nodded, to content on staying there to reply. "When you found the coyote... You looked _angry_. Like you were ready to fatally injure her if she made the wrong move. You didn't look like that when you were fighting the dogs." 

Danny nodded, understanding what the question was even if he hadn't _really_ asked a question. "She was going to hurt the pup, I couldn't let her do that." He replied carefully, tension rising in his shoulders, fully aware of the word he had just used.

It took the other man a few seconds to register what was being said, and what was being implied. Pup. He had refered Junior as _pup_ , because of course Daniel Williams, the man who was a father over everything else with the exception, perhaps, of being a cop, saw a pup in Junior, who had been kicked out of his pack and had barely reached adulthood. How had he resisted the urge to _care_ for Junior, and probably Tani, was beyong his comprehension, maybe it was because Steve had been there for Junior too.

God, he loved him so much! Without a word, he laid down on his side, pressed entirely against Danny's compact body and kissed him again, holding his chin with one hand, the other rubbing soothing circles on his stomach. After a few more kisses he rested his head on Danny's pillow, throwing a leg around his thighs, cuddling as close as he could without hurting him.

"You are amazing, Danno." He whispered, nosing at his head. Danny didn't say anything, but he could feel him tremble. "I mean it. You are a great detective, but you are an even better father, you take such good care of all the kids we've ever crossed paths with." He knew Danny kept in contact with Travis and Jake and helped Nahele with his Maths homework and he was sure he still kept tabs on any other child Five-0 ever had the misfortune of having to help.

They stayed there for a while, trading kisses and caresses, and only got up when their stomachs grumbled and Danny tapped Steve on the thigh.

"You are gonna have to let me up, babe, nature calls."

Steve sighed dramatically, but did just so. "Eggs and bacon sound good?"

"Yeah babe. Thank you."

* * *

Steve smiled when Danny came into the kitchen, already showered and hair slicked back with gel. He was wearing a loose black t-shirt and jeans that had no business being that close-fitting. He could see the outline of Danny's cock! And god, his ass looked amazing.

"You like?" The blond teased, a playful smirk on his face, sauntering to him.

"I very much like, yes." He replied, leaning against the counter and opening his arms. "No mango." He mumbled when he was near enough.

"No need to still use it, right?" He grinned at him and Steve's breath caught in his throat at the honesty and brightness on that smile.

He shook his head, still mesmerised, and gathered him into a hug, burying his nose against his neck, breathing in deeply.

Danny chuckled before hugging him back. "You said something about breakfast?"

"Ugh, way to go, Danno. So romantic."

Danny rolled his eyes at him and plastered a messy kiss on his lips. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Yeah?" He let him go and moved to serve the food.

"Yeah. Whole weekend, my place, we do whatever you want. Or if you can get Junior to go somewhere, we can stay here." He mumbled.

“I’d feel bad doing that, _you_ ’d feel bad doing that, but maybe for a few hours…” Steve mumbled back.

“Sounds good, babe.” He winked at him and pulled back. “Junior is out with Eddie, right?” Steve nodded, suddenly tensing at the thought of Junior. “Hey, calm down, considering we are Mom and Dad, I don’t think he has much of a problem with us.”

He arched an eyebrow at that, cocking his head to the side, adorably confused. “Mom and Dad?”

The blond smirked at him. “It’s what him and Tani call us, babe. You really didn’t know?” Steve shrugged. “Naval Intelligence my ass.” Danny said before he stepped outside, heading to the stretch of beach. “Junes! Breakfast is up!”

“Coming!” The younger man replied. “C’mon Eddie.”The dog switched his attention to the young SEAL to the older detective before running full force to him, Danny crouching down to pet him. 

“Who’s a good boy, huh? Who’s a good boy?” The dog barked and cuddled closer. Short human didn’t smell of fruits aymore, smelt like family, like pack. Danny looked at Junior before standing up. “Before we go in, can I talk to you for a second?”

Junior’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the state Danny was in: his arms and face were covered in bruises and cuts, and he had a bite mark on his forearm. He hadn’t seen it last night with the lights closed, but Danny looked like he had gone twelve rounds with Godzilla.

“Of course, si… Danny. What’s up?”

“About me and Steve…”

“So long as I don’t have to see you making out, I don’t really care.” He shrugged and started heading for the stairs, but he suddenly stopped and turned around, his nose scrunched. “Or hear you having sex. I do not need that. I’m happy for the both of you.” He smiled at him, his eyes crinkling and Danny laughed, patting him on the arm.

“No worries Junior, I have no intention of having sex near you. Or anyone else, for that matter.” He patted him on the back. “Good job yesterday.”

Junior looked down, hiding his face and the rising flush he could feel warming his face. You didn’t get much praises in the navy, so whenever Danny or Steve said he had done a good job, he felt something warm spread inside him. “Thank you, sir.” He muttered.

“Junes, kid, stop it with the sir. I can put up with it at work, alright? But not at home, please. I already feel old enough as it is.” He waved him off. “Eddie, inside.” He paused before going inside the house and eyes Junior. “And you, go wash up.”

Junior snickered and nodded: it felt good to have someone treating him like they were his father, like he was worth more than sideway looks and snides. But he’d be damned if he let Danny know that.

“Morning, sir.” He grinned at Steve before disappear upstairs, to the bathroom.

“I told you to call me Steve!” He yelled back.

“Sorry!”

Steve chuckled at that and grinned at Danny, who was laughing himself. “Good?”

“Yeah babe. So long as we keep the PDA and sex to ourselves.”

“Sounds a fair deal to me.” He bent to run his hands through Eddie’s thick fur. “Hey Eddie, did you know Danno here is a big bad dog? And he never told us?” The dog barked and why did he look like he was grinning at him? It was not possible, right? “Seriously Danno? My dog knew before me?”

“Sorry babe, I changed one day when the house was alone and I kind of forgot Eddie was here.” Except he didn’t sound sorry at all.

* * *

“How did you even get in!? There were only trainers, owners and the public _I_ invited them personally.” Ito growled, tugging at the cuffs around his hand.

“Are you sure it’s this guy, Danny? He’s too dumb to carry on such a big operation, he just admitted to being the central piece.”

The name finally seemed to make something click in the guy’s head, because he stopped struggling and sat up straight, his eyes going from Tall, Dark and Broody, to Short, Blond and Loud, who was covered in bruises in every single part of his body he could see.

“Danny? The _dog?_ You are that dog?”

“Give the man a cigar!” The blond slowly clapped form his place against the wall. “But yeah, I agree with you babe. He’s not smart enough to pull all of this in his own.”

“So what are you thinking? Yakuza?” 

Danny cocked his head to the side, studying the man on the chair, before he shook his head. “Nah. He’s too dumb to be left alone without direct supervision and he doesn’t have enough ink on him.” 

“Yeah. Agree.” He shot him a smile and started to head to the door. “Don’t go anywhere!” 

“Again? I need to go to the bathroom!” Ito yelled.

Danny blinked at him, owlishly before pointing at the floor, between Ito’s legs. “You’ve got a drain right there.”

And with that, Ito was left alone.

* * *

Danny groaned when he sat on the chair, Steve hovering behind him before he sat on his desk. Tani and Adam were going through the arrested public and owners testimony and defenses, while Junior and Lou worked on Luto.

“You ok, baby?”

“Yeah, just sore.” He shot him a grin at the nickname: when Melissa or Rachel called him pet names it had never felt so… intimate. “There’s something that’s bugging me about Ito.”

“What is it?” He knew, from experience, that when something didn’t sit well with Danny about a case or a person he was usually right.

“I agree with you that he is too much of an idiot to be able to run the operation by himself. And he said he invited everyone personally, that sounds to me like something a… a… an errand boy would do, you know?” He nodded. “Which makes me think that whoever is over him was there too. And dog fights are legal in Japan, why risk everything to have them here?”

He did have a very good point there. “So you think the person in charge was there?” Danny nodded, rolling his shoulders and wincing. “Stop that.” He stood up and walked over to him, putting his hands on the broad shoulder and kneaded them gently, dropping a kiss on his head. “You should probably have stayed home.” He muttered.

Danny snorted. “Right. I would have gone crazy, babe. Don’t worry, alright? I’m _fine_.” He paused for a second before shooting him a smirk. “You can keep doing that, though.”

“Yessir.” He continued to apply pressure, moving his thumbs slowly on the back of his neck. “Any idea on who might be the one?”

“Well, certainly not Luto, he was just there to get his guns out of the country, but there is only one person who’s always been there.” Steve hummed, letting him know he was following along, knowing who Danno had in mind. He agreed. “Rubio. We dismissed him because we assumed he was the dogs supplier, but he’s always been there, right next to Ito.”

“And dog fighting became illegal in Mexico two years ago.” Steve completed.

“Yeah. Wanna go get him?” He grinned wolfishly at him.

“I’m offended that you even had to ask.” He kissed him again on the head before pushing up and helping him get on his feet.

“Thanks babe.” 

They walked outside to the other two members. “Tani, Adam, I need you to dig as far back as you can on Rubio. And ran facial rec on him, see if anything pops up somewhere else."

"Yes boss!" Tani said, eagerly abandoning the stack of papers and heading to the table, stopping short when she saw Danny. "Oh my God Danny! Shouldn't you be home resting?"

The blond rolled his eyes, but accepted the hug from the girl, squeezing her. "I'm alright, don't worry. It's not serious. I’ve been worse.”

“That is _not_ reassuring.” She said before stepping back, letting Adam hug the blond.

“Where are you two going?”

“HPD. We are picking up Rubio.” He grinned at them. “Junior and Lou are still with Luto, Ito is not talking, so we want to try with Rubio.”

The other two shared a look, but said nothing: they had long learned that it made no sense to try and get something out of those two when they didn’t feel like sharing.

* * *

“Hey Duke, is Rubio still in there?” Danny questioned, smiling at the man. Steve had an arm wrapped around his shoulders, but it was such a usual sight that the man didn’t even bat an eye at them. “Do not even say I should have stayed home.” He pointed a threatening finger to him.

The man simply shook his head. “I believe you know yourself well enough. And otherwise, your team would have sent you home.” 

Danny made a sound on the back of his throat that agree to it, while Steve gave a curt nod: if Danny had so much as swayed on his feet he would have driven him back home kicking and screaming, if needed.

“Thanks, Duke.” He patted him on the shoulder, smiling at the Sergeant as they walked passed him, down to the holding cells.

They were almost at the door when Duke spoke again, stopping both of them on their tracks. “And Danny?

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry you ever felt you had to hide from us.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I’m sorry you ever felt you had to hide from us.” The native man was not a shifter, but he had been long enough in the force to know almost every single one of them and their reservations if they were more dangerous than a wild cat. Aquatic shifters on the other hand didn't have such reservation since cops didn't really have to go into the water.

Dangerous shifters in the force was strange, most of them couldn't pass the initial psych eval and were turned down and they wenyto those who would take them, like the military or security contractors. Those who did pass it had to tread carefully, one mistake and they would have IA all over them, he had seen it happen before. Hiding their tags and only telling those at the very top and their captain was how they operated: the fewer people who knew, the better. 

Not that it lasted, usually. It wore them down because that meant that they wouldn't have a pack if they didn't have one within their family, it meant they couldn't participate in any of the runs that might have been organised within the precinct, so usually after half a year they would start slipping: getting angry much faster, authority problems, more vicious in their pursuits and in their interrogations. 

For a moment, he had a flashback of going to a house in the middle of nowhere, finding a man tied to a chair, beaten to a pulp and having trouble breathing, but clearly alive. The restrain marks on his arms and legs were clear. At first he had thought it had been McGarrett's doing, but then he saw Danny, sitting on the steps, his badge and his insignia from the tac vest missing and with his kunckles split open and bleeding. McGarrett had only said "He resisted, Duke." It was a lie, a barely concealed one, but anyone who harmed children, who _killed_ and _abused_ children would not find compassion in him, so he had only nodded and took in stride. When he filled the paperwork he had made sure to leave that part out of it. He had read the autopsy report, Max had only left out the parts that would have made very clear that it hadn't been an officer beating a criminal into submission, but a beating to get information. That it had been _torture_ , plin and simple.

And even then, he had never thought that Danny could have been a shifter.

The blond had always been an angry person. Ever since he joined them he had made sure to let everyone know how much he hated Hawaii and that he was only here for his daughter. He was loud and outspoken, not caring if he was talking to a uniform, a colleague or Captain Tanaka. Those two were always butting heads. And it made sense. Danny was smart, he knew that if he let everyone think they knew the reasons behind his anger no one would question it or look further into it. How had kept it a secret for almost a decade without snapping was a mystery, but he had never thought him capable of beating someone to an inch of his life, or being able to get into dog figths and come out of them only a bit bruised.

“That’s… That’s alright, Duke.” It really wasn’t, not in Steve’s book, but he kept his mouth shut. One day he would convinced that living without being yourself was really not _alright_. He should know, most of his service years had been with DADT in effect. “You don’t have to worry about it, alright?”

The man nodded, slowly, clearly not on board with that. "Just know that no one from yesterday night is going to say anything. They signed the agreement and if they do speak about it with someone who was not there, they _will_ be facing an investigation. I will personally make sure of it.” He vowed.

Steve felt Danny tremble under his arm before the blond moved towards the cop and hugged him. Duke looked surprised for all of three seconds before he hugged the blond back.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Danny muttered, feeling his eyes welling up, but hell if he was going to cry in the middle of a hallway in HPD.

Duke chuckled and shook his head, and squeezed his shoulder. “You are alright, kiddo. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.” Danny lets out a shaky laugh at that: he could count in one hand the amount of times that Duke has been so informal with him, in and out of uniform.

Danny swallowed before he pulled away, offering him a smile. “You don’t know how much that means, Duke.”

“And I hope I never have to.” He offered a smile of his own. “I’ll leave you two to your thing and I’ll go see how everything else is going.”

“Thanks, Duke.” Steve said as he wrapped an arm around Danny again, bringing him closer to his side.

When Duke was out of view, Steve steered them to the nearest bathroom, a single one, and locked the door behind him. He kissed him on the head and hugged him from the side.

“Wash your face, baby. You don’t exactly look scary right now.”

“Shut up, McGarrett.” The blond grumbled but did as told, scrubbing his face with water and then paper. “Better?”

“Yeah.” He grinned and leaned to steal a kiss. “And for the record, I only made them sign the agreement, all of that about getting an investigation on their asses if they step out of line? That’s all Duke.”

Danny rolled his eyes before kissing him again. “He’s a good man. And thank you for making them sign the non-disclosure. You didn’t have to.”

Steve shook his head. “No, I did. It clearly was important to you, otherwise you wouldn’t have made _us_ sign it. I hope we don’t have to sign them for Gracie and Charlie, though!” He squeezed him playfully and stepped back. “Let’s go get the bad guy, Danno.”

* * *

Rubio sang like a canary the second he found out Danny was the dog who put his own personally trained dogs out of commission in one night. Especially when Steve pointed out that they were under four floors underground of solid concrete, with no cameras or microphones inside and no one willing to help him anyways. Inside or outside, because as soon as he set foot outside, if they spread the word he had given them everything they needed and let him free, he was a dead man.

And he had heard stories about Five-0.

Everyone who made business in Hawaii did. He also knew that while you had to watch out for every single one of them, even those who weren't part of it anymore, the ones you really wanted to stay away from were the one in charge, the ex-Navy SEAL that killed Wo-Fat after being tortured to hell and back, and the second in command who had brought down a whole meth ring in less than 3 hours after crash landing a plane on a beach, with broken ribs, and all because his partner had been deathly injured. And he was sure there had been more stories like that one that didn't make it to the news. There was a rumour and those two killing Reyes and his men, but no one had ever been able to prove it. Nor why they did it.

And if he didn't talk, there was no way of knowing what would happen to him, but knowing that the short blond was the dog that beat all of his own made him even more wary of them. He was no a shifter, he would never survive the attack of one in full control, with a hardened SEAl watching or worse, leaving them alone.

After him, Ito and Luto also confessed to their own wrong doings and Five-0 had, once more, made the streets of Oahu and Hawaii safer.

* * *

They were at Sidrestreets waiting for their drinks and food. Adam had been the one to suggest to go out and celebrate the end of a long, tiring case. It had taken them a month with other cases in the middle to get Rubio, Ito and Luto and everyone else involved, mostly buyers.

Steve had made sure he and Danny had the sofa, wanting the blond to be as comfortable as possible. He had an arm wrapped around his shoulders, the hand hanging over his chest and the blond had, at some point nestled himself into his side, one hand resting on Steve’s thigh, thumb brushing every now and then.

Danny reached across the table to take his order, but pulled back with a groan when a bruise on his side stretched painfully.

“Hey, hey, ask for it next time.” Steve handed him his drink and his plate of wings, squeezing him tenderly. “Need anything else?” 

“No babe, I’m good. Thank you.” He smiled at him and moved in closer when Steve retrieved his arm to eat.

Throughout the night Steve kept passing Danny things before the blond could even open his mouth to ask for them, his arm draped around him as soon as he was done with his own plate of wings.

Danny hadn't felt this relaxed in years: now that the whole team knew his biggest secret and Steve and him had come clean about their feelings for each other, he had nothing to hide, he could relax, knowing he wouldn’t do or say something he would regret. He grinned at Steve’s laugh, feeling it run through his own body where they were pressed and sighed: two weeks ago, he never thought he could have this.

Steve looked at him having heard the sigh, but Danny was laughing with everyone else at something Junior had said and the kid looked so pleased he made them all laugh, Tani patting him on the arm and Lou snorting into his drink, clearly having being taken by surprise.

And Steve felt a foreign pride for the kid fill him: he would make one outstanding officer one day, he just needed to come out of his shell some more. He would talk with Danno about Junior tagging along with them more, partnering Tani with Lou also seemed a good idea. Tani respected Lou and the man could teach her a thing or two of handling hostages situations, how to request back up and introduce her to the SWAT captains. He was thinking of talking Adam into attending the Academy, or something, to help him learn more about what to do in each situation. He would make one brilliant detective, too. And by the Task's regulation, there would always have to be at least one military person and a Detective. Him and Danny had always been those people, but they were getting old, they would have to retire someday. He no longer thought he'd die on the job, he had something, _someone_ , pulling him back, giving him a purpose other than chase down perps for adrenaline rides and to feel needed.

It was also not fair that he put Junior through the Academy and not Adam.

"You two seem chumier today.” Lou pointed out when the conversation was dying, arching an eyebrow at them and everyone else quieted down to look at them.

Junior offered them a comforting smile, letting them know he had their backs whichever way they decided to go

Danny felt Steve go rigid next to him and decided that he was going to take the lead, but without being too specific. They were new. It was theirs. At least for now. 

“We talked.” He said and went back to his drink, grimacing at the lack of alcohol.

“And?” Tani prompted, leaning over the table to them, her face an open expression of eagerness.

“ _And_ we are still talking.” He answered, leveling her with a look.

She pouted, but backed off at that, knowing when Danny was being serious and when not, and he was definitely being serious right now, and the last thing she wanted was to set them back. Or to find herself without a job because she teased her bosses too much.

Steve relaxed again and melted against Danny.

* * *

They were going to the cars when Lou came up to them, Junior still talking with Tani and Adam. Their plan was to leave him at Steve’s and then drive to Danny’s for their weekend today.

“Hey, you two, hold up a second.” They both sighed and turned around: of course Lou wouldn’t let it go, he had known them for far too long and they knew he would not let them leave until he said what he had to say.

“Lou, seriously…” Danny started, but trailed off when the Chicago native held up his hand.

“I get it, you are still hashing things out. I just wanted to tell you that whenever you two come out to us, _really_ come out, we all are going to be behind you. We just want you two to be happy, and I’ve been and seen enough around you and how you two work, to know you are the only ones capable of making the other happy. So, you know, be happy.” He grinned at them and engulfed them in a hug. “I’m happy for you two. Chin and Kono would be, too.”

Steve shuddered at the words and Danny hugged him back, patting him in the back a couple times.

“Thanks Lou, it… it means a lot.” The ex-SEAL said, offering a small, tentative smile.

“Never thank me for that, man. Well, I’ll leave you two alone and _I_ am going to go home before Renée leaves me in the dog house.”

“Good night Lou.” Danny gave him a little wave. “Junior! Are you coming with us?” He yelled. And well, would you look at that: a bashful, blushing Junior Reigns that looked exactly like Grace when she asked if Will could come over for dinner. “Alright! You guys have fun with whatever you kids do nowadays for fun.”

Steve chuckled next to him. “You make us sound ancient, Danno.”

“They already think we are.” He grinned at him and opened the door of the car. “Now, can we please go home?”

“Of course.” He helped him inside the car and dropped a kiss on his head. “You should have said something sooner.”

Danny rolled his eyes at him and waiting until the ex-SEAL was inside the car before speaking again. “I’m fine, Steven. Just a bit bruised, that’s all."

Steve chuckled at that, shaking his head. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with me, Danny. That’s something _I_ would say and that you would yell at me for.”

“I’ve always said you were a bad influence.” He replied, shooting a cheeky grin at him. "But we needed this, we'd been working on this for weeks without no fun at all.”

* * *

Steven was sitting on the sofa when the sound of nails invaded his thoughts. He gasped when he saw Danny back in his animal form, tail wagging behind him.

“You could have told me, you know?” Danny gave a short woof before nudging him with his cold, wet nose. "Alright, alright! But let me pet you some before!" He exclaimed.

Danny nodded and tugged in the cargo pants until Steve stood and then headed to his bedroom, jumping on the bed, growling when his left paw throbbed, and flopped down on the bed.

Steve smiled at the picture of Danny on the bed, shifted and looking at him with huge, clear blue eyes, tongue lolling from the side and tail wagging softly behind him. 

He really was a majestic dog.

He climbed on the bed too, sitting with his legs crossed and it took Danny mere seconds to put his head there, clearly giving Steve permission to pet him to his heart's content. And well… it was nice to be petted by someone who loved you.

"You are one of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen, baby." He mumbled, burying his nose on his head.

He didn't need to look to know Danny was, once more, rolling his eyes at him.

After a few more minutes of petting and spoiling, Danny retreated and sat straight, looking at him expectantly, but when the Commander didn’t move, he barked once.

Steve chuckled and slid off the bed, taking his clothes off and… and it should probably feel weird to have Danny, dog form or human form, watching him undress. 

Once all of his clothes were folded and put away, he shifted too, feeling his bones move and bend, still surprisingly painless, the hair grow and the muzzle elongate, his senses of smell and sound increasing by well over tenfold.

He looked up at Danny and climbed on the bed too, laying down next to Danny, and resting his head on his shoulders, wiggling as close as he could.

It felt so good to sleep with another shifter like this. It felt good to sleep with Danny, whatever shape or form. And more importantly, it felt _right_.

* * *

Steve woke up several hours later, alone. Danny’s spot next to him had already cooled down, but there was no light outside.

Another bout of insomnia, then. 

He jumped off the bed and headed to the living room, deciding against shifting. Danny was there, shifted back into his human form (half naked, too, he noted to his own joy), the TV on and wearing those old headphones he had gotten him back in the day. The sight tugged at his heartstrings, he had assumed Danny had thrown them away when he found the house, he wouldn't need them anymore. And the fact that he was using them to not wake Steve up didn't help either. He climbed on the sofa and snuggled to him, resting his head on his lap, and Danny immediately started petting him with slow passes.

After a while he stirred and nudged Danny into a lying position, with his back against the back of the couch and Steve curled up to him, setting his back against his chest and his head under his chin.

Danny’s hlaf naked body should feel weird and foreign against his furry form, but as usual, it felt normal to them. There was nothing about the blond that would ever feel strange. He knew a lot of shifter couples didn’t like it when only one of them was shifted in the house, because it felt like they were putting up some kind of barrier, but he would never tell Danno to not shift if he needed or simply wanted to. Just like he knew Danny would never ask him to not shift if he was the one who needed it. And while he was aware that some of them shifted to give someone the cold shoulder, he would never be able to do that to Danno. 

He felt an arm go in between his front paws, hand curling around his shoulder, pushing him back to Danny’s warm body. The blond dropped a kiss on top of his head and breathed deeply, before setting his head on top of his.

“Go back to sleep, I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

He turned his head around and licked a wide strip on Danny’s cheek before settling down and letting sleep claim him once more, feeling Danny's heart beat against his back, his chest moving with his breathing in a lulling rhythm.

* * *

When Danny woke up again, the sun was out, the headphones were lost in the sofa and Steve was still in his arms, in his dog form, so he took his time to admire him. 

He was a perfect GSP exemplar. 

His coat was solid black with the exception of the bottom of his front left paw and the tip of his tail, that were white, the hair was as short as his own, which was a good thing because that meant minimal shedding, he was sleek and elegant, with lean muscles everywhere. He snuggled him closer and breathed in deeply, surrounding himself with Steve’s smell.

Steve moved in his arms and he eased his hold. “Sorry babe.” He mumbled into his fur. “I’m going to make breakfast. Are you going to shift or should I just make some for me?” He mumbled, and there was no expectation in his voice: if Steve wanted to stay in paws the whole day, he would let him. He'd shift with him.

Steve turned around and started to turn back, his head tucked under Danny’s chin, his legs tangling with the blonde’s. “For two, please.” His voice was rough, from both sleep and shifting back.

“You could have stayed, Steve. I didn’t mean you had to change back.”

“I know.” He pressed a kiss on his throat, nuzzling afterwards. “But I wanted to. I also want to know why we are sleeping on the sofa and not on your very comfortable bed?”

Danny shrugged and moved until he could wrap himself around Steve, setting his head on his chest, over the transplant scar. “I uh, I got up to take a pill and I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I uh… I came here.”

Steve nodded, dropping a kiss on his head. “Next time wake me up, alright? It seemed like cuddling worked.” 

Danny blushed at that, feeling his cheeks heat up at those words, and simply nodded. It had helped, after Steve had lay down with him he had been out in under twenty minutes, which was a feat on itself.

“Is there anything you’d like to do today?” Steve questioned, running his hand up and down Danno’s back, avoiding the large bruise on the upper right shoulder and kissing his head. The blond was completely relaxed on top of him, like a warm blanket.

“I believe I said I’d make it up to you, Steven. So you choose.” He grinned and pushed himself up to slide out of the sofa. “I’ll even make you pancakes if you want.”

And of course that was what got the man’s attention: Steve sat up and hugged Danny around the waist, not rady yet to lose skin-on-skin contact, his chin digging on the hairy stomach.

“Banana and chocolate chip, please.” He pressed a small, innocent kiss there, smiling up at him with that boyish grin that made Danny’s stomach think it was an acrobat.

“You, my friend, are worse than Charlie.” He replied before taking a step back and heading to his room, very conscious of Steve’s eyes on him. “And put on pants at least, you are _not_ eating breakfast naked!” He yelled from the other side of the house.

“Aw, but Danno!” He stood too, going to Danny’s master bedroom, where he was met with a pair of flying pyjama bottoms to his face. Danny had his phone in his hand and was texting someone back.

“And a shirt, too. Gracie and Charlie are coming over for breakfast.” He stopped for a second, looking dubious. “If… If that’s ok with you.”

Steve rolled his eyes at him and wrapped him in a hug. “Danno, the day I say I don’t want the kids around, is the day you can have me declared insane.” He slipped the shirt on and continued talking, now grinning at his partner. “It’s not like you haven’t tried all those years we've know each other.”

Now it was Danny’s turn to do the eyeroll. “Nice for you to know you are not a 100% alright upstairs, babe.” He walked to him, already dressed, and kissed him on the lips, nipping gently before pulling away.

* * *

When Grace and Charlie got there, they both made a beeline for their father, throwing themselves to him, one set of arms wrapping around his neck, the other around his waist. The last time they had latched at him so ferociously was after he had been shot in quarantine, and while he would like more hugs like this, he didn't want them if it meant his children were going to suffer.

“Hey, hey, what’s the matter? Not that I’m complaining, I promise.” He said, lightly, but even then, he was clutching his children to him. 

Steve didn’t move, he just watched them, leaning against the counter, taking the image in: He loved watching Danny and the kids together, his little family. It was a gentle reminder of everything he didn’t have as a kid and that he had vowed to give Gracie, Charlie and Joannie. Gracie was trembling slightly, and he was sure that if she was alone with her Danno, she'd be bawling her eyes out. Charlie was trembling and rubbing his face on his dad's pants, small hands gripping them tightly.

And after what felt like an eternity, the kids peeled off of Danny and suddenly Steve had an armful of Charlie flying to him and oh. He was hugging him the same way Gracie did when they first met, arms tight around his neck and legs around his back, head tucked on his neck. He briefly wondered if that was Danny as a child, of it was more Rachel. He’d have to ask Clara, but he had an inkling that Rachel was never this enthusiastic, if Amanda was anythign to go by.

Gracie was once again glued to Danno, so Steve went to the living room with the Williams sibling still in his arms, sitting down on the sofa. He ran his hand up and down his back, petting his head every now and then, knowing that it felt good in which ever form they were in, and it seemed to be working, because Charlie's breathing was slowing down.

“Uncle Steve?”

“Yes?” He pulled away a bit, to look at him.

“Is Danno hurt?” He mumbled, looking at him with huge, hazel-green eyes.

Steve ran a hand along the child’s back, wrapping it around his nape in a comforting gesture, one that he had seen Danny do over and over with his children or children in cases. “Well, he’s a bit banged up, but he’s fine, I promise.”

That seemed enough to calm the child’s fears, because almost immediately he started telling him about his new Lego collection Daddy Stan had sent him. He might not have liked Stan because of what he represent in Danny's life, but the fact that he kept caring for Gracie and Charlie, sending gifts for Christmas, birthdays and sometimes just because he had seen something that reminded him on them was commendable. 

* * *

Danny leaned against the fridge, his daughter still in his arms, still clinging to him in a way she hadn’t done in recent years, so he basked in the warmth of the moment and held her close for as long as she wanted.

After a few minutes she pushed away, but she still wrapped her small hands around his forearms before she pinned him with a look that was too similar to Rachel’s for his liking.

“Never do that again, Danno.” She growled, and oh, there was the part she got from him. “You don’t get to call me and Charlie and say you love us and to take care of Uncle Steve because something really bad can happen to you and then not call us back! Or send a message!”

And yeah, she definitely had a point there. He sighed and hugged her close again. “I’m sorry Monkey. I was really tired when we finished and I’ve been on painkillers since yesterday, you know how forgetful they make me.” Which was not a good excuse, because Steve could have reminded him, but his best guess was that his Neanderthal partner had also forgotten.

“Ok, but never again.”

“Never again, I promise.” 

He pressed a kiss on her temple and she sagged against him before she pulled away again, dark brown eyes studying him carefully, taking in all the bruises colouring his skin, now much more visible than the day before.

And she _knew_ those bruises, had seen them before on her father. A long time ago, back in New Jersey, when her dad would leave after fighting with Rachel, the door slamming behind him, and wouldn’t come back until the Sun was almost coming out, only to grab a shower, change his clothes, kiss her on the head, apologise and leave again to work.

“You… shifted.” She declared, her tone higher than usual and her eyes were looking frantic, twisting to look at Steve playing with her little brother. “Does… Does Uncle Steve know? The team?”

He sighed and hugged her close again. "Yes. But it's fine, Monkey! I promise. If anything they are pissed because I never told them. Him. But it's alright, we are alright." She relaxed again against him.

Grace squirmed in his arms, the way she did when she had something on her mind and was working herself up to say it outloud. Danny had an idea of what it might be, but he waited, with a patience reserved only for children, and sometimes, if it was of the essence, with certain SEAL adults.

After a few minutes of more nervous foot shuffling, she looked up. “Does… Does that mean we can shift with Uncle Steve now? Play with him?”

He smiled at her and poked her nose. “It’s fine by me, Monkey, but you’ll have to ask him, too.”

And she bolted to the living room, almost flinging herself to the man and her brother. It was nice to see the kid in her coming back up, he missed that. He followed at a much slower pace, sitting down on Steve’s other side with a grunt and not even three seconds later he had an armful of his son.

“Hey baby.” He kissed him on the head. “Did you have fun with Kawika yesterday?” The boy nodded, his head still tucked on his neck, small hands gripping the fabric on his shoulders. “Hey Charlie, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t like it when you get hurt, Danno.” His boy mumbled.

Danny sighed and spared a look at the other two sitting next to him, Grace, was almost on Steve’s lap, hugging him and looking at them.

“I'm sorry Charlie. I didn’t mean to get hurt that much.” He replied, hugging him close and nosing his blond hair. “But hey, Gracie’s got good news! Something you’ve wanted for a long time!” He jostled him gently until he looked at his sister and his uncle. Though hopefully, at some point, they could promote him to Dad, none of that Step-Nonsense, Danny thought.

“Gracie?” Steve turned to look at her, huge brown eyes, too mature for her age, but still having that tinge of childishness in them.

“Danno said you know about him. About us.” Steve nodded, smiling at her. “Does that mean we can shift with you? And play with you?”

Steve felt as if all the air in his lungs rushed out at once: Gracie and Charlie had wanted to tell him, they had wanted him to know about them and more importantly, they had wanted to _include_ him in their games with Danno.

He was going to answer when he realised that Gracie was still going, wearing the same expression her dad did when he was unsure of how a suggestion was going to be received. He grabbed her face and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

“Of course I want to, Gracie. Nothing would make me happier.” He replied, pushing her hair out of her face. “I know a good spot we could go… If that’s ok with you?” He twisted to look at his partner, being met with an impossibly soft look that stole his breath away.

“Does your mother know that your here?” Danny questioned Grace. 

Things between Rachel and Danny had gone stale again after Danny had told her that they weren’t on the same page regarding their relationship. Hell, they hadn’t even been in the same book! But Rachel knew better than to try and pull the same shit she did at the beginning. She didn’t have Stan’s pricey lawyers any,pre and Danny hadn’t had the same reputation he had now, nor the contacts he had made in his almost decade in Five-0. And she knew that after hiding Charlie’s true father could cost her the custody of her children, so she hadn’t tried anything shady.

“Yeah. She said we could spend today with you, but had to be back tonight before bedtime because we have friends coming over tomorrow.” She replied, grinning. “Can we go? Please?”

“Yeah Danno! Can we go?” Charlie twisted in his lap and hugged him tightly, pressing in almost all of his bruises, but before he could push him away, Steve was already pulling at his little arms with a soft 'Danno's injured Charlie, we have to be careful, yeah?'. "Sorry Danno." He mumbled.

“Don't wory about it, baby. And yes, we can go. But after breakfast, I’m making pancakes” He laughed, wrapped his arms around his son and passing him to Steve. “I’ll make some sandwiches to take with us, yeah?”

"Yeah! Thank you Danno!" The children said in unison, beaming at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who don't know much about dogs (like myself), GSP stands for German Shorthaired Pointer.


	5. Chapter 5

**"Yeah! Thank you Danno!" The children said in unison, beaming at him.**

Breakfast had been a quick and surprisingly calm affair and after the dishes were clean, Danny went to his children, who were sitting on the sofa: Grace with her phone, of course, and Charlie was, supposedly, reading a book for school. Steve had gone take a shower in the ensuite, which was such a normal occurrance, no one batted an eyelid at that. He sat between them, both children moving to curl on his side.

It was nice, having all of them in his place. Knowing that Steve now truly was part of them, of their little family,

When he heard him come out of his room, he stood up, looking at his pups with a smile. "Alright kiddos, you know the rules."

They both nodded and scrambled off the sofa, dashing to their rooms, pulling a chuckle out of the two adults, Steve havig to plaster himself to the wall to avoid collision. He arrived at the living room, where Danny was looking at him, eyes going up and down his body appreciatively. He supressed a shiver. With a quick glance to his back, he pressed a small kiss on his lips, Danny pushing up in response, before pulling away, an amused twinkle dancing on his eyes.

"Rules?" Steve asked as they headed to the kitchen, leaning against the counter when Danny started pulling out everything he needed to make real Jersey sandwiches.

"Hm. Here, slice the tomatoes. I started when Gracie was a pup: they leave the house shifted and collared, their tags on the collar pouch with a picture of their human form, a bag with toys for them to play with and clothes for when we shift to eat."

Steve blinked, surprised at the collars.

"I wear one too." Danny replied at his inquiry, slowly, not looking at him. "After the incident with AC I decided it was safer to wear one. For all of us." 

Steve made a sound that resembled a growl and kissed him, nipping at his lower lip, not caring if Grace or Charlie came through that door, he _needed_ to comfort his partner. "I'm sorry, Danno. You should have never felt the need to wear one."

Danny sighed and kissed him again. "Maybe, but to be honest, I don't dislike it. Besides, we don't wear real dog collars, they are made with proper Italian leather, and we don't wear them tight. C'mon, I'll let you put mine on." He winked at him before wrapping the sandwiches, scribbling their names on each one. "I'll go check on Charlie, can you pull some drinks out?"

"Of course."

* * *

Just as Danny disappeared inside Charlie's room Steve heard the telltale sign of nails against the floor. He turned and he smiled at Gracie, his breath catching up on his throat. She was smaller than Danny, but she was still a growing pup. When she was fully grown she’d probably be bigger than Rachel, but still much smaller than Danny, who was, for all intents and purposes, massive. Her fur was darker than her father's, but her brindle stripes were even fainter. 

"Gracie, you are so beautiful." He praised, crouching down and letting her approach him.

Which she did. By tackling him to the floor and damn, she was heavier than she seemed and that, was definitely a Williams trait. She started licking his face and hands, making him laugh in adulterated happiness. Before he even saw it coming, Charlie rammed into him, yipping excitedly and joining his big sister in licking him all over his face.

He sat up, wrapping his arms both of them and hugging them close, their heads resting on his shoulder, nuzzling and sniffing him.

He never thought he could have this. He never thought he could have pups. He knew they weren't his, that they would never be, but the fact that Danno trusted him so much to be around them, in shift form, meant everything to him.

“Are we feeling sensitive?” Danny teased, but the impossibly soft look on his face, as he watched them on the floor, betrayed him. 

“Shut up.” He shot back, cuddling the two puppies closer, happy tails hitting him on the leg.

“Here, collar them while I get the bags inside the car.” He gave him the leather stripes, scratching his children on the head before heading outside.

He held the two collars and inspected them: they were thick and heavy and both were light brown. They had the names engraved. Grace’s had flowers on it: he recognised the hibiscus on one side, but he didn’t know the much smaller flower on the other side. Charlie’s had the Hawaiian islands and a schooner ship on the other side. Turning them in his hands he saw that they also had animals, near the buckles. Grace’s had a nene bird and a smaller bird on the side of the hibiscus, while Charlie had a horse next to the islands and a monk seal next to the ship.

It was clear that they had Hawaiian State symbols, so it was only safe to assume the others were from New Jersey. Or England’s, but there was significant lack of lions to be so.

“Gracie, come here.” She came up obediently, sitting up and holding her head high to give him easier access. For all of her typical teenage brattiness, she was always so obedient when it counted. He fastened the collar on the more used hole, giving her a vigorous rub along her flank and akiss on her head before sending her off to her father.

Charlie had been running around, but once his sister was gone, he dashed towards Steve, yapping happily.

“Hey, hey, calm down and let me put this on you.” The pup finally stopped and Steve tightened the collar, using that time to look at Charlie: he was basically a mini-Danny, with the only difference being that his fur was atadf lighter than Danny’s, thought it would probably darken in time, and his eyes were darker. “Good boy!” He gave him a big rub and stood up. “Let’s go outside.”

Charlie ran ahead on him and jumped into the car, cuddling close to Grace, who rolled her eyes in that way that only Williamses seemed to be able to do it: with great exasperation, annoyance and incredible fondness.

“So babe, will the camaro get there or should we swing by your place and take the truck?"

Steve shrugged, slipping into the passenger seat. “Camaro will do just fine, Danno.” He smiled at him and turned to look at the two dogs behind them, who were now roughhousing.

“Grace, Charlie, enough.” Danny commanded and they both stopped at once and that shouldn’t be as hot as it was. “Good, now settle down, or we are not going anywhere.”

* * *

The drive had taken about an hour, but when they finally got there, Danny was lost for words. It always amazed him that, even after a decade, Steve could still take him to hidden gems like that one. They had headed to the North Shore, but Steven had taken a left at some point and they went onto a dirt track, and kept going for the better part of 30 minutes until they reached a small house. Steve had parked there and then led them down a slope, the kids running around them, chasing each other, until a small stretch of beach appeared in from of them.

“Where are we?” Danny questioned as he took in the place.

“It’s my grandma’s old place. It’s Mary’s and mine, I rarely come, though. Sometimes, to clean up.” He explained, sadness painting his smile and Danny couldn’t help but ran a hand from his shoulder to his hand and squeezed it tightly.

“Thank you for bringing us here, Steve.” He wanted to kiss him so badly, but he wanted to tell the children before doing something in front of them. 

The ex-SEAL never replied, he just smiled and turned around to look at the two puppies playing with the soft waves. As Danny wasn’t freaking out and yelling, he assumed they knew how to swim in their animal form. He felt Danny let go of his hand and the rustle of clothes besides him. Before he shifted though, Danny called over the kids.

“Good pups.” He said as he kissed them on the muzzle. “Since we won’t be going anywhere with more people, we’ll take the collars off, yeah? We don’t want to ruin them.” He quickly removed them and he wasn’t even back on his feet that they were already in the water. “I don’t let them get into the water with them on.” He explained when Steve cocked his head. “Now, get naked babe.”

Steve rolled his eyes at him. “You are not even gonna buy me dinner first?”

Danny chuckled and turned around, dropping his underwear. “Considering how much you like losing your shirt, babe, I don’t think I need to. I’ve seen you naked more times that I can count.” He grinned at him and then started to shift.

And ok, Danno did have a point there.

He quickly shifted too, and walked with Danny to the sand, keeping as close as possible to him, both for the warming presence and to help him if his paw gave out on him.

Danny went into the water, much to his surprise, but stayed on the shallow end, sitting down and letting the gentle waves crash against him. Steve nosed him on the neck, receiving a gentle nudge to the ocean, so he took it and dived, going to Grace and Charlie, who were just a few feet away, diving and going back up constantly.

They seemed to be having fun. More fun that they would probably have gotten if they had stayed on land. Knowing that Danno was keeping an eye on them, he decided to go for a short swim.

When he got back, he smiled when he saw Charlie chasing his dad’s tail and Gracie was just resting between his paws, sinking hers on the wet sand every time the water washed it away.

They were the perfect picture of a happy family. 

And he got to be a part of it.

After shaking most the water off, he lay down next to Danny, setting his head on the muscled back, cuddling in close.

He waited for Danny to bark at him or move away. 

When he did, he shifted away and Steve felt his heart constrict at the idea of Danny not wanting his children to know they were together. But he understood it, they were new, they still hadn’t talked to them. He didn’t think they’d have a problem, they had both grown up in very different times than they two did but he didn'y know if Danny was out to them,. He didn't even know what Danny identified as. Fuck. They should have talked. He shouldn't have jumped ahead without thinking it through.

What stung the worse was the fact that five days ago Danny would have let him do it without pulling away because it wouldn’t have meant more than their normal cuddling. Sure, it would have meant something more for them, separately, because they would still be blind to what had been in front of them for years.

He felt Danny stand up and go back to the grass, shaking the water out, the pups following his example. He let them go back to the patch of soft grass, staying there by the water, watching the hypnotic movement of the receding water, the waves hitting him on the side and on the face, but he didn't really care if his fut would end up full of salt and sand. Not right now.

Maybe… Maybe Danny didn’t really want this? Maybe it all had been a product of not knowing if he’d make it out alive. Maybe he was humouring him: in the end, Danny was more of a self-sacrificng idiot that he said he was and perhaps he tohught he'd lose Steve if he didn't correspond his feelings, that Steve would retreat in himself and push him away. Not that he could blame him if he had thought so, it was probably what he would have done. What he would do if it turned out that he was right and Danny didn't care for him that way.

His musings were cut short by a nudge on his side and low whine. Turning his head around he saw Danny staring at him with a confused expression as he whined again at him before he bit his neck, softly. He then turned around and headed back to the grass, Steve following him, still unsure of what was happening, but he thought that Danny wanted space, but he was clearly wrong. But that Danny would want him to stay aside and by his own was a ridiculous notion, because even if Danno was mad at him he still stayed by his side, touching and checking up on him.

Danny lay down again, Gracie and Charlie now running to their forgotten bags, pouncing on each other and chasing tails. Steve sat down, straight, next to the mixed dog, close enough that he could feel the heat radiating of him, but not close enough that they would touch.

Danny rolled his eyes: God, Steve could be so stupid sometimes. He just needed one negative thought passing his mind and he expected to be rejected, to be abandoned once again and he had the nerve to say _he_ was the negative one. he understood that Steve's hadn't had it easy, and once more, he wanted to punch John and Doris McGarrett across the face (much like he had his son, years ago) for hurting such a beautiful human being. And Mary, because she didn't deserve any of this either, and a part of him was glad that Doris never considered her daughter useful, otherwise it wouldn't be just one McGarrett that kept being hurt and hurt and hurt.

He rose up again and flopped down next to him, _pressed_ against him, hoping he would get the message through that thick skull his partner had. When Steve didn’t move, Dany whined low again and nudged him, lowering his head to show his back. _Offering_ it, if the idiot would take it.

Steve stared at his partner and what he was doing before he understood it: he was wanted. Danny hadn't pulled away from him, he had been pulling away from the water, and when he had partner his back, there had been no point of waiting for him in the water.

God, he was so stupid sometimes.

He finally rested his head between his shoulder blades, nuzzling the back of his neck in contentment, Danny sighing under him.

They stayed there watching the kids for a while, until Charlie came with a thick piece of rope that split in two in the middle and set it in front of his dad, tail swishing excitedly when he picked up one end in his mouth. Charlie barked at his sister, who ran to them and picked up one of the two ends, Charlie taking the other and they started to tug.

Not that it seemed to make much difference for Danny, who was still casually slouched on the floor. Steve left out a happy oof, not inclined to change his position. He could feel Danny’s muscles under him, and he was not giving this up. And it didn’t seem like it was bothering him anyways.

And Danny loved this. The fact that he had Steve cuddling close, his children playing and happy with them… That was all he ever wanted, a real family. It was what he had wanted with Rachel, but he finally knew that he would have never had this with her, not like this, not in Jersey. And not for the first time, he thanked his lucky stars for leading him here, for giving him Steve, as exasperating as he was most of the time, for Grace and for Charlie.

He let go of the rope, happily barking when his children tumbled onto the grass, rope flying with them. It worked every time.

And just like every time, they charged at him, pawing and biting gently at him. Only this time Steve was in the middle of it too, getting an over-excited Charlie climbing on his back.

And in less than two minutes Steve found himself ganging up on Danny with his children, making him roll on his side, until Grace and Charlie lay down, exhausted, so Danny took it as his queue to fetch their lunches. He left Steve with the kids and went back were their clothes and bags were, shifting in the way. Once he was fully human and half dressed again he gave a sharp whistle making three heads snap his way and well, wasn’t that interesting? His children knew that whistle, they knew what it meant, but Steve? Steve had no idea what that meant and yet he responded in kind. But funnily enough, even Steve looked confused as to why he answered to that call, so all he did was follow the pups at much slower pace, letting them shift and get changed. He saw that Gracie went away and it pained him to know that she wasn’t the little kid he had met almost a decade ago, but a young woman now. 

He waited by Danny’s feet until Charlie was all dressed and Grace came back.

“Here, why don’t you start putting all your toys back?” He asked them, giving each their backpacks. “Uncle Steve and I will go to the car to get the food.”

“Okay Danno.” They both said, giving Steve a head rub and then doing as told.

“C’mon babe.” Danny had gathered his clothes and pointed at the car.

And while Danny gathered everything from the cooler and a blanket for them to sit and eat on, Steve changed back, and much like Danny, he skipped the shoes altogether. He was about to head down again when Danny grabbed him by the elbow, tugging him back.

“Danno?”

“Come here for a second.” He said, leaning against the car and forcing Steve to step in between his open legs, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Been wanting do this for hours.” He mumbled before pressing his lips on Steve’s, opening his mouth to him.

Steve smiled in the kiss, slipping his tongue inside Danny, relishing in the shiver that run through the blond. It felt thrilling, like they were teenagers sneaking around so their parents wouldn’t find out, except it was their children who they were hiding from.

Shit. They were hiding. And his doubts came back all at once.

Danny pulled away when Steve tensed under his hands, and he sighed. He clearly hadn’t gotten through him before. Not that he was surprised, not really: Steve needed to hear him say it. “Steve, babe, I just want us to be _solid_ before we tell them, alright?” He said, brushing his fingers along the strong jaw. “I promise I’m not ashamed of you, of us, Grace knows I’m not straight, she’s always known, and Charlie probably won’t care. Knowing them they’ll be thrilled, but I want us to… to…” He moved his hands, trying to find a suitable word.

“To know for sure?” Steve suggested and sure, that worked, so Danny nodded. Steve sighed, setting his head on Danny’s shoulder. “Baby, you are it for me.” He mumbled, hugging him close.

Danny returned the embrace, but before he could say anything else a loud, twin cry of ‘Dannooo!!’ interrupted him. “We better get going before they start eating grass, babe.” He pressed a kiss on his neck, smirking at the hitching on his breathing. “But for the record, you are it for me too, babe. You always have been.” He pressed another quick kiss on his lips before he pulled away. “We’ll talk more about this one day, alright?” 

Steve nodded. He might not like talking all that much, but the last thing he wanted was to screw this up with Danny.

Lunch had gone by with two cuddly kids, amazing sandwiches and probably too much sugar in them afterwards in the form of sodas and cookies. Steve had basically forced Danny to take his meds and Danny had probably spent too much time with him, because refusing to take meds was something _he_ did.

“Danno, can we shift again? Please?” Charlie begged, kneeling next to his father.

“Yes, you can. _But_ don’t go too deep into the water, ok? Just the shore, otherwise we are heading back immediately and I’m dropping you with your mum.” He warned.

“Ok! Promise Danno!” Charlie kissed him and scrambled to his feet, flinging his clothes everywhere.

“Hey, hey, Charlie, pick up the clothes, c’mon.” Steve said, waving at the kid to come back over. Gracie was already waiting for him.

Danny smiled at that: Steve had always been so good with his kids, not spoiling them rotten and always knowing when to put his foot down. Once the clothes were properly folded, or as properly as a kid could do it anyways.

Once the kids were in the water, Danny lay down, crossing his arms behind his head and that was really unfair of him, Steve thought, as he watched the already tight shirt stretch even more over his chest. He really, _really,_ wanted to cuddle with him.

“Danno?”

“Yeah babe? What’s up?” He opened one eye to look at him.

“Do you mind if I shift too?”

“Of course not. Come here.” He patted his chest and Steve smiled. It always amazed him how Danny seemed to know what he needed at any given point. “You’ve got ‘I want something and I don’t know how to ask for it’ face, so c’mon.” 

“I don’t have faces.” Steve replied, just for argument's sake.

“Sure you don’t babe, sure you don’t.” He moved to lie on his side, watching him strip. “Could watch you strip all day long.”

Steve froze in the middle of unbuttoning his pants; that was new. They both had been aware of the growing tension between them, and sure, he had checked Danny out more times than he cared to admit, and he had felt his eyes on him too, but this was the first time they were openly staring when one disrobed.

Danny was getting a funny look on his face, that one he got when he was confused and about to apologise for something he did that he didn’t know was wrong, so Steve could only smirk at him.

“Makes us two, babe.” He said before he dropped his pants and underwear, Danny’s eyes still on him, going from his legs, up, slowly, taking him all in, eyes never stopping until he got to his face. 

“You are beautiful.” Danny breathed out. And one day, one weekend were they didn’t have the kids, he was going to kiss all of Steve, he was going to mark him up and make sure he knew he was wanted, and needed, and loved until he had no doubt about it, until he was filled with so much of Danny’s love he would never think again that Danny was ashamed of him.

The schmuck.

Steve swiftly shifted and cuddled to Danny, who reached out to bundle the blanket and use it as a pillow. Left hand falling into place in Steve back, idly running his hand up and down, nosing his head every now and then, dropping one or two kisses on his muzzle.

They could hear the kids splashing around and with one last kiss, Danno settled down for a nap, his hand curling possessively around him, knowing that Steve would keep an eye out for Charlie and Grace.

* * *

When he came back to the land of the living, Grace and Charlie had shifted back and were already dressed and sleeping, the Sun was setting and Steve was still curled against him.

“Hey babe.” He rasped, scratching him on the head. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.” He mumbled.

Steve shook his head in response, ears flapping: He had expected Danny to crash after not having slept much during the night, especially after taking the pills. He stretched and went to his perfectly folded clothes, shifting back and getting dressed, sitting next to the detective, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to bring him closer.

"Don't worry about it Danno." He said, smiling down at him. "You make an incredible pillow." With a quick glance to the kids, and seeing they were still out for the count, he kissed him, holding his chin in place with his other hand. "Let's wait a bit before we head back, yeah?" He mumbled when they split.

“Yeah, babe.” He moved in even closer, throwing a leg over Steve’s because even if the kids woke up, seeing them entangled like that wasn’t outside of their day to day interactions. “Thank you for today, Steve.”

The ex-SEAL blinked at that, shaking his head. “It was nothing…”

“No, it is. Maybe not for you, but for them, for _me_ , today was huge. It wasn’t only them who had been dying to tell you, to come out here and shift with you.” He blurted out, colour rising to his face. “I really loved it.”

Steve squeezed him tighter against him, fingers twitching against the blond’s side. “You are not the only one Danno. Since.... Ever since Kono and Chin left it hasn’t been the same. I know I didn’t get to run with them, but just hanging the four of us, that meant a lot to me. It really hurt when they left, it was like losing my family again, and… All I had was you.” He confessed. “I had wanted to ask you so many times to go for a trek with me but I didn’t know _how_ to ask and…” He trailed off, knowing he didn’t really have to explain himself to Danny. Not to Danny. “But having Junior and Eddie around has been great. It’s still not the same, but it feels good to have other people around. And animals.”

“Oh babe…” He moved until he was kneeling in front of him. “Never again, alright? I promised to never hide anything from you, but you have to promise you’ll ask for what you need. No matter how silly it might be, deal?”

Steve nodded, hugging him tightly. “You sure you are ok, Danno? You aren't usually this nice to me.” He teased. "I kind of expected you to rant at me for a solid five minutes."

“Shut up, you asshole. Next time I will rant at you, for being an idiot who thinks that after ten years can't ask for things.” Danny swatted him on the back of the head before he pulled away. “Let’s head back.” he stood up, gathering the bags, one in each arm before scooping Charlie up. "Besides, you love me anyway."

Steve chuckled, taking Grace in his arms, grabbing the blanket at the same time. God, she had gotten big, he thought. "That I do, Danno, that I do." He smacked a kiss on top of his head before starting to go up the hill, leaving Danno and Charlie behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about the delay, but work has been hell lately and I haven't had the time to write anything.

“I’m sorry Rachel, we tired them out.” Danny said, carrying Grace up the stairs. Steve was behind him with Charlie in his arms. Steve headed straight to the boy’s room without any word, leaving the ex-spouses alone.

“Oh, you know that’s never a bad thing.” She waved as she watched her ex and their daughter. Sometimes she regreted leaving Danny, because the man could be many things, but she would never deny he was an amazing father. “I must admit that I haven’t seen Grace shift long enough to let go of her phone and to be this exhausted.” She said as Danny put her to bed, tucking her in. It was clear he missed doing it.

He kissed his baby girl on the forehead and she mumbled a sleepy “Love you Danno” that pulled a sad smile from him: she was so grown up.

“Steve came with us. They had been begging me to let him know for ages, and now that he knows they were excited to play with him. And there wasn’t reception where we went, so the phone was as good as dead for her, I guess.” 

Rachel blinked at him, obviously confused for a second, before she got her form back. “Steven knows? Since when?”

“Two days ago. We were working to dismantle an arms-dealing ring, and they met by using dog-fights as a cover, which is already stupid enough considering dog fights are illegal in here but bad guys aren’t always the smartest. And you know, I’m the only fighting dog in Five-0.” He shrugged, feeling a bit self-conscious under her stare: married for almost a decade, divorced for one full decade and sometimes he still felt like she could just look at him and see all of his secrets written on his face. 

He started to go downstairs just to avoid that piercing stare. She followed him, one or two steps behind him.

“That explains why all these bruises are so familiar.” She noted, and paused for a second before looking down the hall. “You are safe, right? No retaliation for keeping it secret or anything?” She started to walk again, aware that Danny, now behind her, watching her back. 

It made sense that he was staring, in the end she had done many things to him that she was ashamed to admit: leaving him for Stan, trying to severe his ties with his pup, because she had tried hard but her ex-husband's stubborness was well known, even within the Williams clan, and he had not let that happen, up-rooting himself to Hawaii just to see his daughter a handful of hours a month. Trying to take Grace to Las Vegas. Not telling him about Charlie until she had no choice, or Charlie would have ended hurting someone.

Danny scowled at her for that: he was well aware Steve and Rachel didn’t like each other, no matter how much they tried to hide it around him, he knew it. It was like sometimes both of them forgot that he was, in fact, a Detective. a damn good one, at that.

Steve would never forgive Rachel for all the grief and pain she had caused him over the years, stringing him along just to get back to Stan every time, until everything was out in the open. He had seen the jealousy in his tone when he had asked what was going on between them when the hurricane hit. He was the first one to admit his poker face wasn't the best out there, but Steve's was terrible: he was utterly uncapable of hiding his feelings now, the barriers around his heart had crumbled long before Tani and Junior came, and they were almost in shambles by the time Lou had joined them. 

And Rachel would never be able to let go of the anger she had felt when Danny didn't go back to New Jersey with her and Gracie in favour of staying in Hawaii to help his innocent partner get out of jail, or when she fought her about Las Vegas, because he couldn't let go of Steve, even if that time he had been trying to convince himself it was solely for his Monkey. She would always resent them for that, but she would never try to get in the middle of that, and Danny knew _she_ knew better than to try and hurt either of them: the whole state knew what happened what happened when you hurt either of them, things got intense, things got bloody and deadly. He knew Steve would never physically hurt him, that was not who his partner was, but if she had tried something shady again, he knew Steve would have ripped her a new one. Would have called in favours and his own contacts to make her life harder, just as he had done with Stan, early on their partnership.

She had tried to get him back after the hurricane, b ut it had been to late, he had told her, he had already realised he was in love with his partner and had been suspecting the ex-SEAL had feelings for him, too. He didn't tell her as much, what he did tell her was that he had invited her and Charlie to his house when the hurricane hit Oahu because he would always feel a sense of duty towards her, she was the mother of his children, and for that he would always love and care for her, but he would never be _in_ love with her again. He had told her that when she tried to kiss him. She had retreated then, their relationship getting a chilly air again, but she hadn't tried anything stupid: she didn't have the money and the power anymore, Danny had connections now, Danny had Steve. And Grace wasn't so little anymore that she wouldn't be aware of what was happening, and if Danny could count on one thing was Rachel's love for their kids.

“Of course not, Rachel!” He growled. “They were just upset that I hadn’t told them before, that I thought they would kick me out because of it. I guess this isn’t… New Jersey.” He shrugged. It shouldn’t even have surprised him that the Hawaiian views on shifters, as most things, were much more relaxed than in the mainland.

She nodded before turning around again, facing her ex-husband. “I’m happy for you Daniel. It’ll be good for you. And the kids.” She smiled at him and turned around when Steve came back and fell into step next to Danny, arms brushing.

“Sorry, he wouldn’t let go of me.” Steve mumbled.

“I know. Charlie gets extra clingy after shifting. Especially for so long.” He grinned at him, pressing against his frame even more. “Well, we should get going. We heard you have guests tomorrow.”

“Yeah, some friends we made when we first moved in.” Rachel replied, her eyes zeroing in between the lack of space between the two men. It looked… different than their usual touchiness, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“Alright, you have fun. We’ll see ourselves out.” He hugged her briefly and then stepped away, wrapping an arm around Steve’s waist, fingers inside the belt loop and tugging him closer, the ex-SEAL following promptly.

Danny led him to the door with the hand on his waist, handing him the keys of the car. Steve took them with a smile and, without giving it a second thought he bent over and pressed a kiss on his nose, playful and relaxed in a way that most people never saw him. Danny, his sister, the kids… They were probably the only ones. And he wanted to keep it that way, he liked that it was a part of himself that he only gave away with them.

Danny laughed and pressed even closer to him. “So babe, where do you wanna go?” The blond mumbled, looking up at him.

Steve laughed before pulling him to the other side of the car, opening the door for him. “I was thinking home?” He shrugged, looking at ice blue eyes. “Yours, I mean.”

“I figured, babe. Wanna stop on our way and get some beers?”

“Yeah.” He shut the door and rounded the car and got inside, smiling before leaning and stealing a kiss. “Should we rent a movie?” He suggested as he peeled off Rachel’s driveway, heading back to Danny’s.

“Sounds like a plan. No Die Hard, please.”

“But Danno…!” 

“I swear to everything that’s sacred to you, if you make me watch Die Hard again this year I’m burning all of your cargos and not letting you drive ever again.” He threatened, and after a lost pair of slippahs and three shirts, Steve knew better than to go against him.

So he did the next best thing: he gave Danny a comeback.

“So you want to swear to yourself?” 

He smirked when he saw Danny blush and sputter, clearly thrown off at that. And god did he look good all red like that. He had seen Danny flirt left and right for years now,  _ they  _ had flirted for years and he had never seen such a wild reaction.

“Shut up, you schmuck.” He grumbled, pointedly not looking at him.

And because he was feeling gracious, Steve kept quiet.

* * *

Steve woke up first, Danny snuggled next to him, his hair fluffy and mused, and out for the count. He looked at the clock, it was still early, just past 7am and hopefully Danny would be asleep for another couple of hours. He leaned over and pressed a loving kiss on his shoulder and slipped out of the bed and left the bedroom. He went to the garage, opening the doors of the wardrobe and pulling out his running gear, quickly changing out of his pyjama and headed out, to Liliha’s to get their breakfast.

When he came back Danny was already up, if the washing machine noise was anything to go by.

“Kitchen!” Of course Danny would know when he came back. After toeing his shoes off he headed to him, stopping at the threshold to look at Danny: h e was wearing some old navy sweats that had Newark plastered on the side of the right leg, although the lettering was almost faded and a white T-shirt that had NPD on the back. The bruises on his arms were now a deep, almost black, purple. His lip was still split but clearly healing and the bandaging on his arm needed to be changed.

He set the malasadas and coco puffs on the table before wrapping himself around his partner.

“Good morning, Danno.” He mumbled, breathing him in: he hadn't showered yet, so he smelt like a combination of himself and Steve. And he loved that, knowing that his partner, the man he loved, smelt like him was enough to almost make him hard.

“Good morning to you too. Where did you ran off to, huh?” He twisted around and pressed a kiss on his cheek, his eyes zeroing into the bags on the table. “You went to Liliha’s?”

“Yeah. I felt like running, so I decided I might as well go get breakfast. Lord knows you are  _ insufferable _ when you don’t have breakfast.” He teased, leaning in to properly kiss him, hand slipping inside the T-shirt, settling on his sides.

Danny hummed and wrapped his own arms around him, resting on his shoudlers and playing with the small hairs on the base of his skull. They allowed the kis to drag for a few more seconds before they pulled away, twin love-struck smiles on their face.

The blond let him go and stepped away to get their mugs, filling them with his beloved caffeinated drink. “So here I am, making coffee for you, and you insult me. Remind me why I love you again?” He passed him him his cup, and how much did it say about them that they ahd their own mugs in each other's houses. Even Junior knew not to use Danny's.

Steve chest tightened upon hearing those words and hugged him again, kissing his fluffy hair. He liked hearing them before but... that they held a different meaning now. A much more precious one. But he didn’t let it show, shooting Danny a smirk. “Because your life would be very boring otherwise. Just think about it.”

“It would be several times safer, too.” He shot back before stepping out of Steve’s embrace to take the sweets.

The brunette only rolled his eyes and followed him to the dining room, picking both cups of coffee, seeing a knob of butter melting in his, he couldn't remember seeing his partner putting it, so he probably had it prepared before hand. He smiled at that, and kissed Danny on the head in appreciation.

“So, is there anything you want to do today?” Danny questioned, bringing his good leg up, heel resting on the chair, coffee cup precariously,  _ magically _ , perched on the bent knee. 

Steve had tried it once. All he will ever say about that episode is that he would not going to be trying again it anytime soon, one burn and a pair of ruined cargos was more than enough,

“I thought that we could just stay here? Ya know, a lazy Sunday in?” He suggested. He wouldn't mind going outside, surffing or trekking, but he knew his partner liked to stay inside, less chances of getting in toruble, he always said. And besides, he wanted to hold him for as long as he could.

Danny arched an eyebrow at him, nodding slowly. “I never thought I’d hear those words out of your mouth, Commander.”

“Don’t get used to it.” He leaned over and pressed a sticky sweet kiss on his lips before going back to his food. "This way I can ask for something else next time." He grinned.

"Of course. All you wanted was leverage, huh?" 

"Yup. So next weekend we are free, we can go to the North Shore." Danny rolled his eyes, but he didn't get shot down as he usually would.

Breakfast had been a quick affair, and once the mugs and dishes were clean, the clothes hung to dry under the Hawaiian sun, Steve had goaded Danny back into bed, easily spooning him from behind, wrapping an arm around his midsection, snuggling in close, trailing kisses from the back of his neck to his shoulder.

Danny was feeling boneless, content to spend the morning like that, in Steve’s arms and being pampered. He was still hurting, so a few more hours of sleep were definitely fine for him.

“Danno?” The blond hummed in reply, showing him that he was listening to him. “Is there a chance….” He trailed off, and Danny didn’t need to look at him to know he was working himself up to say whatever it was he wanted, or needed, to say. “Is there any chance you’d wear your tags in a chain? Like the rest of the team?”

Danny frowned and turned around, slipping his bad leg between Steve’s and looking at him in the eyes. “What?”

“Well... You were hiding them because you didn’t want us to know, but now that we do… I was just wondering if you’d consider wearing them out.” He brushed the blond strands to the side, running his fingers through the short sides. “I don’t want you feeling like you have to hide from us. I hate it. I want to show you that it can be good, that you don’t have to be afraid of us, because we aren’t afraid of you. We all trust you with our lives. All of Hawaii does.”

“Steve…” He looked at him, taking in the earnest face and he sighed, defeated. “I’ll uh, I’ll think about it, ok? I can’t, not yet. It’s still too early.”

Steve nodded, he’d take it: when he asked, he already knew it was an odd chance. “Thank you, Danno.”

The cop nodded and snuggled closer, tucking his head under Steve’s chin. 

They did nothing that day except for showering, going to the store to pick up food for lunch and dinner. And Steve… He was surprised by how good it felt to just spend the day cuddling Danny on his bed, surrounded by his smell and his presence, by his love, being able to return it in kind.

With Cath and Lynn, it had never sat right with him, and if they spent the morning in bed was because they were having sex, not because they were trading lazy kisses and murmurs, dozing off every now and then. It was like his soul was being healed and it was surprised that he realised that that was exactly what was happening: he had a pack mate now. He had someone with whom he could let go and act as he needed, not as he thought he had to act as. He was _free_. When he realised that his breathing had stuttered and he hugged Danno tighter. 

But the best part had been when Danny lost his clothes, only his black boxers remaining, and he had gotten to look. To touch. It hadn’t been sexual, he had just run his hands up and down his legs, his arms, his back and his stomach and chest, fingers tangling in his chest hair and well, that particular part probably shouldn’t have been that enticing and intimate. He had kissed all of his bruises, praising him as he went.

When he finished, Danny returned the favour by kissing all of his scars, paying close attention to his transplant scar and the ones on his side, the very faint one that only him knew was on his skull from North Korea, the one in his midsection from his time in prison, the fainter, older ones from his time in The Teams. None of his past lovers had ever done this. Cath would sometimes trace them, but it usually was a motion in passing, never something so focused, so intense.

* * *

"Are you crazy?" They all flinched at the explosion coming from Danny's office. He had drawn the blinds, but they couldn't do much against his voice. "No, I don't… I don't care! After everything she's…"

He kept silent for a few minutes, but the tension outside was increasing, because they knew there was another outburst coming.

"Put Ma on the phone. I don't care! Put her on the phone, now!" That last word came more like bark than a human voice.

"Where the hell is Steve?" Adam questioned, looking around, before he remembered he had gone to the Governor’s office to drop some papers.

Tani shifted besides him. She felt uneasy. She was not used at being afraid of Danny. Junior and Adam weren't that much better but Lou… Lou seemed eerily calm. 

As if he had seen this before. But it couldn't be, right? Because Danny hadn't told anyone. 

"There has only been one time where I've been afraid of Danny.” The Chicagoan said, looking at her. “We were at the Hospital and Danny received a call. He went white as a sheet and then left. I had to take a car to follow him back here, he forgot about me, which really, should have told me something. At first I thought maybe it was Grace, then I heard he was talking to Catherine. When I got here, Chin and Kono were in Chin’s office, so I went with them. It then hit us that we were hiding. ”

“From… From Danny?” Junior questioned, glancing at the blond’s office: there was no more yelling, but that didn’t mean anything when it came from him.

Lou gave a curt nod before carrying on. “There are places where you don’t to be, and then there's the path between Steve and Danny when one of them has been taken. If you try to stop them, you become a liability and you _will_ be left behind. You do not want to be anywhere near that. He was on the phone, yelling at someone and emailing someone else at the same time. Next we know he’s taking off to god knows where. To this day, we still don’t know where he went.”

“And you’ve never asked?” Adam inquired: he knew the story, Kono had told it to him several times.

“If he wanted us to know, he would have told us. So my best bet is that he was protecting us from any possible fallout.”

“And you didn’t track him?”

Lou looked at him as if he had suggested the dumbest idea ever, like trying to get the drop on McGarrett or giving Danny pineapple on pizza. 

“Junior, kid, Danny is a detective. He has been in Five-0 for as long as it has existed; he  _ knew _ the second he was out we would be tracking him, so he left his phone here and cut the tracker in the Camaro. An hour and a half later he’s calling us from another cell phone telling us he is going to get Steve. In Afghanistan of all places.” He shook his head, sometimes he still couldn’t believe it. “Steve had gone there with Catherine, something went wrong, he was taken by the Taliban. I don’t know the specifics, never asked. Three days later they come back, Steve is banged to hell and back, and he’s not allowed in the Middle East anymore, if he goes, he could be court-martialed unless he’s been deployed there.” 

Junior was looking at him with incredulous eyes, he had always suspected it could have been him, but to have it almost confirmed… “He went to Pearl.”

“What? Who?” Tani questioned, turning around to look at him.

“Danny. I’ve heard the story about a blond mainlander storming into Pearl, waving a badge around and storming into Captain Beyer’s office and getting into a screaming match with him and walking away before. He left untouched. No one knew what it was about, but it is an incident to  _ never  _ be mentioned while in Pearl. It’s almost like ghost story: everyone knows it, but nobody can prove it.” He looked at Lou. “I thought it might have been him, when we met, mostly because of the description, but he never seemed the man who would risk everything by storming into a military base, so I just sort of forgot.”

“As I said, the last place you ever want to be is between them when one is hurt and/or missing. I know it happened at least once more before I joined the team, something about North Korea, but they don’t talk about it, so we don’t ask.” The three of them nodded, understanding the severeness of his words.

He turned to look at the two youngest members. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t need saying, but we have never talked about this, are we clear?” 

“Of course.”

Just at that moment, Steve made his entrance, staring at them. “I know we don’t have a case and I don’t mind you guys taking a break, but why are you all here?”

“Well…” As if on queue, Danny exploded again.

“Shut the fuck up! I don’t care about your feelings!”

Steve flinched with them, not expecting that. “What…? How long has this been going on?”

“About an hour, sir.” Junior, ever dutiful, replied.

Steve pulled a face, before turning around and going to his partner’s office, stopping before opening the door. “Go back to work, I’ll take care of this.”

With a nod, they all disappeared to their respective offices, Tani and Junior had decided to share one as they prefered to work together, and Junior’s became Adam’s.

Steve slipped inside, going straight for Danno, wrapping a hand around his wrist and squeezing lightly, asking him if it was okay for him to stay. Danny simply replied by taking his hand in his and making him sit on the chair, letting go after that. And Steve didn’t try to take it back, knowing how Danny and his hands got when he was angry. And he was beyond  _ furious _ right now.

“You  _ cheated _ on her! Ma has given you  _ everything _ she had, and you’ve been cheating on her for years. You have no fucking idea how that feels.” Steve’s head snapped up, staring at Danny with huge eyes: Rachel had… cheated on him? With Stan? The fucking bitch, no wonder Danny had trust issues. “All that crap about wanting to do better for her… _By_ her... The girls and I did all the heavy duty, all you had to do was come over here with a kicked puppy face and get her to forgive you… I should have let file the divorce papers back then.” He paused for a second, breathing hard. “Expect it this time around, because I will make sure she does it.” 

He threw the phone across the room, and it shattered, the casing flying somewhere and the screen cracking in a spiderweb. Steve was on his feet in seconds, gathering his partner in his arms, tucking him against his chest. 

“Is Clara ok?” He asked, as softly as he could.

Danny shook his head. “She couldn’t stop crying, Steve. She said that it was her fault for being too pushy. All she wanted was to come on a trip together to visit me and the kids.” It was true, now that he thought about it, that Eddie had only come once to Hawaii, and it had been to patch things up with Clara. He had never come to see his son and grandchildren.

“I’m so sorry, Danny. She doesn’t deserve this. You and your sisters don’t deserve this.” He told him. “Do you want to bring your mum here, then?”

“Yeah. I don’t want her to spend another minute in there. Too many memories. She said she will be staying with Stella the rest of the week.” He pushed away a bit, just enough to kiss him. “Thank you.”

“Thank you? For what, baby?”

“You know, being here. For me. For Ma. It means a lot.” He rested his forehead against his chest, breathing in deeply.

“Never thank me for that, ok? I love you, I’d do anything for you.” He kissed him again, thankful for the closed blinds. "I also care for Clara, you know that." She had made sure he knew that he had someone who could be his mother if he so wanted. That he had someone who cared and loved him for what he was, not for what he could provide or how useful he could be. She had also made sure he understood Mary and Joannie were also welcomed to stay with them if they ever went to New Jersey or New York. 

He remembered the New Year's Eve they had spent with the Williams clan. it had been big, and loud, and it reminded Steve of their ohana dinners, but only with a lot more hand gestures and discussions about pizza topping he had ever heard oin his life. Danny had been engrossed with two of his cousins and a few uncles on that, so Steve had slipped into the kitchen to see if he could help Clara with anything, only to find Mary, the three Williams women he knew and another two cousins and a great aunt sitting around the table and chatting. As soon as they all turned to look at him, he decided that he prefered pizza arguments than whatever they were talking about. Charlie had introduced Joannie to a few of his cousins, and they were playing with a lego set in Danny's old room. Grace was hanging with Sophie and Regi, Bridget's twins.

Danny had spotted him, looking around and a bit lost on what to do, and had grabbed him by the elbow, forcing him to sit down next to him. The hand migrated from his elbow to his wrist, and he held him, all of it without stopping the argument. Somehow they were now discussing cannoli flavours. Danny thought that coconut would work, but that pineapple, much like on pizza, did not belong inside a cannoli.

it had been one of the best New Year's him and Mary had ever had.

“I scared them, didn’t I?” Danny suddenly said, pulling him from his thoughts. 

Steve sighed. “Maybe. Lou looked fine, and Adam is a tough one to read. I don’t think Junior was  _ scared _ but definitely weary. Tani was. They’ve never seen you this angry. And to be honest Danno, the last time I saw you this mad, on a phone call, was when Las Vegas happened.” He stroked his cheek. “Come to mine today. We can go swim before bed.”

“But Junior…”

“He said he’s going at a friends to watch tonight’s match and he’ll stay the night there. It’ll only be us. Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He smiled at him, tiredness painting his face, but his ice blue eyes were still burning in anger. “I’m done with the report, is there anything else you need me to do?”

Steve took the change of topic in stride, knowing his partner needed to do something to distract himself. “This term's budget meeting is coming up, if you want go through the numbers.”

“Yeah, ok.” He sighed, stepping away. “I’ll buy lunch today. I never meant to act like that in front of them.”

“I’m sure they understand, Danno.” He kissed him on the head. “Sit down, I’ll bring the papers now.” He started to pull the blinds up, a clear signal to the rest of the team that the worst had passed.

After a while, Lou knocked on danny’s door frame and Danny moved his hand to get him inside.

“You are still working on your report? I can come back later.” He questioned, a bit surprised: Danny was the fastest when it came to paperwork, usually done one or two days before the rest of the team. He knew that he proofread Steve’s and the kids’. He had never bothered with Adam because the man was capable of doing his own, and he knew Lou could handle his after so many years in the Police.

“No, it’s fine. It’s the budget report.” He explained, setting the papers aside. 

“You write the budget report? I thought that was McGarrett's job.” Man, they really needed to pay Danny more.

“It still is, but you all made me go undercover as an Economics Professor and the Governor found out. So now I have to work on it every 3 months too, thank you for that, by the way.” He grumbled. “What’s up?”

“Just wanted to know if you were ok. Haven’t heard you yell that much before.” He sat down on the free chair, looking at him: he was clearly still angry, but he had definitely calmed down. Whatever Steve had done or said had worked, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what _that_ had been. They might not be Mom and Dad for him, but he viwed them as his brother and he did _not_ want that mental image.

“My father has been cheating on my mum for about the last 10 years or so. She found out this morning.” He answered. “So yeah, I’m as ok as I can be.” He rubbed his eyes, dropping the pen on the table. “I’m sorry about the screaming.”

"I'm sorry, Danny." He smiled sympathetically at him. "What are going to do?"

“Get Ma out of there. I have space in my place, she can come live with me if she wants, or I can help her find something.” Although he had a feeling his mum would like to stay with him. And he would actually really like it. He had always been a mama’s boy, same as Matty. His sisters had always been daddy’s little girls, although by the sounds of it, that had come to an abrupt end.

“If you need anything, and I do mean anything, just tell us, ok? Renee and I will happily help. If you need Grace or the little man to stay over one night, just let us know.” Lou offered, smiling at him.

Danny blinked, slightly taken aback. Sure, Lou and him were friends, they knew they could trust each other with their lives, but they weren’t particularly close, not like he and Chin had been, although he knew that was partially his fault. “Thanks Lou. I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it, man.” He stood up, grinning at him. “You’d do the same.” Danny nodded, still a bit dumbfounded. “I’ll let you get back to those numbers now.”

“Wow. Thank you very much, Lou.” He deadpanned, pulling a laugh from the other man as he left.

* * *

“Danno, do you wanna go to Kamekona’s for lunch?” Steve questioned, entering the office without knocking. “How’s the report going?” He sat down on the armrest of his chair, dropping a kiss on his head in the process.

“You’ve gotten better, but I can see why those meetings took forever before.” He teased, smirking at him. “You could have asked for help, you know? But then again, you are famous for never doing that.”

Steve rolled his eyes, huffing. “I did tell Jameson and Denning that I had never done them before, but they insisted. Mahoe was so happy when she found out there was someone in the team who knew how to do them properly.” He said. “I think she would have kissed you when she saw yours compared to mine.” He laughed at Danny’s face, tracing his cheek. 

“I did not need that image in my head Steven.” He pushed him off the chair, standing in the process. “Let’s go get lunch, you schmuck.”


	7. Chapter 7

**“I did not need that image in my head Steven.” He pushed him off the chair, standing in the process. “Let’s go get lunch, you schmuck.”**

When they got back, loaded with food and drinks for everyone, they were all waiting for them around the table and if Chin was there, he’d probably kill them. Danny had muttered one “I’m sorry. I was out of line today.”, but everyone waved him off, saying that it didn’t matter, so he left it alone. It was not like he actually wanted to talk about it.

They also didn’t say anything when Steve dragged their chairs closer, wrapping an arm around Danny’s shoulders, cuddling him close, but well, they had been made aware of the changes in their relationship and that it was not something they would be discussing as a group any time soon. Sure, it had been almost a month ago, and they were in a full relantionship, but they had both agreed tha tit was not something they needed the others commenting. And they also knew that there was a bet going on, had been ever since Kono and Chin had been there and once they had gotten wind of who had bet on what, they decided that they would make sure Chin won, mostly because he had been the least annoying one.

Junior had been discualified because he had the inside scoop and decided not to tell anyone, his sense of brotherhood towards Steve and respect towards Danny much stronger than wanting to win. Just for that, Danny had made his favourite breakfast.

After lunch they all went back to their previous doings, with Danny and Steve staying in the briefing room to discuss, what it seemed, new weapons. Although the discussion seemed to be more Steve begging Danny and Danny shooting down every single one of his arguments, from the looks of it.

“Hum, Danny, yes, sorry.” Tani said, with that look on her face that she always wore when she had to interrup them and wasn't sure if she was welcome, a stack of papers in hand. “I’ve just finished this and I was wondering where should I leave it?”

“Oh, you can just leave it on my table, Tani.” He replied absentmindedly, waving towards his office with a broad sweep of his arm. "We'll wait until Junior is done with his and we'll go through them together on Friday, if we have no cases."

“If you are done with that, do the inventory, please. Get Junior if you want, you’ll be done faster.” Steve added, his eyes glued on something Danny was circling.

“Yes boss.” And with that she left them alone, fingers tapping on the glass door to get Junior to come out. “We are doing the inventory.”

"I haven't finished yet." He pointed out, but he was already rising to his feet.

"Boss's orders!" She said cheerfully

After Kono and Chin had left, the three remaining members had decided that they had to split the jobs in a way that made sense, since before it was almost a pick one and do it. 

Steve kept dealing with the governor and documents that the rest didn’t even know existed. Well, Danny did, but that was only because he had been with Steve when he was goign through them and because when Steve was absent for more than a few weeks he was the one to deal with them, and since he was also the one who dealt with everybody’s reports, everyone had agreed that he didn’t really have to do much else, aside from going to the meetings with Steve if the Governor requiered another member's opinion and the hiring —although in typical Five-0 manner, so far the only person they had hired through a somewhat typical way had been Tani.

Lou had been given the coordination with HPD and SWAT given their history together, as he was the member whohad spent the most time in HPD, besides Chin back then, and the paperwork that carried. Adam mostly worked on keeping tabs on the yakuza and triads so he reported directly to Steve or, if he wasn’t available, to Danny. Tani and Junior had been given the inventory and maintenance of the guns since it was one of the most tedious jobs and well, they were the rookies after all. It was also good because Junior could teach Tani how to take them apart and put them back together and Tani was a quick learner.

It was mid-afternoon when Steve’s phone rang, startling both of them and pulling them from their discussion about they needed more rifles or if the money should go to something more productive, like updating the table. They both knew they'd put money for both, probably the same amount, but Danny prefered arguing about it than leaving Steve on his own with it. Otherwise they would only have weaponry.

“It’s Eric. Did we forget a piece of evidence in the lab?” It wasn't strange for Eric to call him during a case (even if he mostly called Danny first), but if they forgot something there he would just drop it himself, always eager to see his uncle and get some praise. He really had changed a lot from the teenager he had first met. Danny had done a good job.

“Not that I remember.”

With a shrug, he picked up the phone, going into his office, the blond following him with the folders, eyes still glued to another set of numbers. “Hey E-Train, what’s up?” They both sat on the sofa, probably closer than was strictly necessary, but Steve liked having Danny under his arm.

**“Hey Commander, is Uncle D with you?”** Even after so many years, Danny hadn’t been able to get his nephew to call him Detective at work, and in the end, he had just given up, accepting his fate.

“Yes. Everything alright?”

**“Aunt Bri and mom have been calling him all afternoon, but he hasn’t picked up their calls and they are worried.”** He explained, and by the sound of his voice and the little sigh he let out when he learnt that Danny was at work, gave away that he had been worried too.

“His phone suffered an accident.”

**“Ah. He smashed it, huh?”** Steve frowned slightly because the fact that was the first thing Eric said upon hearing that meant there was something behind it. And knowing his partner as well as he did, he could already guess what it was.  **“Can I talk to him?”**

“Of course. Danny, phone.” He didn’t even look up from the paper, extending his arm, palm up. “What’s up?”

**“Aunt Bri and Ma have been calling you all afternoon, Uncle D.”** Ah great, just what he needed: he should have imagined that his sisters would also call him to see what they should do and now he'd have to deal with the fact that he let his anger get the best of him and broke his phone.  **“Ma told me. Is Grandma going to be ok?”**

“With time. It’s going to suck, she’ll be sad, moping and she won’t be the same woman we know. But she’ll bounce back. She said she’d be staying with Stella this week. And I want her to come here. For a while, at least.” He paused for a second. “She’ll be alright Eric, don’t worry.”

**“I know. She’s got you.”** Danny didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to say at that. He was never good at having people say they trusted him to make someone else better, that he was a good support net on himself. It didn't matter if who said it was family or not, it always made him feel awkward.  **“Do Gracie and Charlie know?”**

“Not yet. I’ll talk with them tomorrow.” He glanced at Steve, who nodded, understanding that Danny would like to have the conversation in his house, where his children could go to their rooms if they needed the space. “How are you doing?” Eric had always been close to his granddad: he had been his first grandchild and he had been the only father figure he had for years, before Danny had swooped in with a much harder hand to bend and lot more opinions on what he was doing with his life. Uncle Matty had been the one he went to if Uncle D had been to harsh, or if he just wanted to chill out.

**“Alright. I guess. I just… Don’t get it. If he wasn’t happy with grandma, he should have let her divorce him the first time instead of going behind her back.”** Danny smiled: for all of his fucking around, the boy had morals. They had done good with him, Stella didn't have to worried about him anymore.

“Come tomorrow, yeah?” He said. “I’ll make baked ziti.”

**“Ok. Is Steve going to be there, too?”**

“If you don’t mind, yes.”

**“Yes, of course.”** He paused for a second. “ **And Uncle D? You could have told me you were going to shift in front of them. Made me look like a dumbass when Tani and Junior came.”**

The blond rolled his eyes at his partner, who grinned at him. “I wasn’t aware you needed help with that, you putz. Now go back to work. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

**“Kay Uncle D.”**

With a sigh Danny rested his head on the back of the sofa, after the kids kicked them out of the table to update the inventory they had moved to Steve's office.

“Everything alright?” He sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around him, bringing his partner closer.

“Yeah… It just has shaken us all, y’know? I never took my father for someone who would cheat on Ma. Not even once, so the fact he has been for the last decade or more… It just makes me question everything I thought I knew about them.” He replied. “I should have seen the signs or something…”

Steve shook his head, taking his face in his hands. “How? How could you have known, huh? You’ve been here for most part of that decade, and you’ve seen them what? Once or twice a year? Three times, maybe? That’s not nearly enough time for someone to see if their parents' marriage is going down hill. Not even for someone as good as you, ok?”

“Yeah but, if it had started before I came…”

“If it started before, you still couldn't have know. Danny, Rachel had just left you for Stan, because don’t think I didn’t pick up on you implying she cheated on you,” he added for good measure, before Danny could deny it. He only nodded, looking away and well, that looked like another conversation they needed to have. “You yourself have said more than once that you weren’t in a good place back then, that you could barely function, so how could you have seen it, huh?” He reached over, stroking his cheek. “No one blames you for it, so don’t you do it, alright?”

Danny sighed, because as much as he wanted to bear some responsibility because his mum was hurting, Steve was right: there was no way he could have known that his father was a son of a bitch who didn’t deserve his mom. 

“How about we go home?” Steve suggested. “We are almost finished with this, we can just take it home with us, work on it over the weekend if you want?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” He smiled at him before leaning over, kissing him gently. “Thank you.”

The ex-SEAL shook his head, hugging him tightly. “I love you, Danny. And I love your mum, so whatever you need, just ask.”

The blond nodded before pulling away slightly. “Come tomorrow for dinner with Eric, the kids and me? I’d like to have you there.”

Steve pulled away at once, staring at his partner with wide open eyes: it was one thing to shift with the kids, and it was a very different thing to be asked to be present in such an important conversation. About family. A family that he wasn’t really a part of, sure he was a honorific Uncle, but this was about Danny’s parents splitting not about Grace’s grades or Charlie’s next science project. It meant something else.

“You… really want me to be there? You don’t have to do it just for me, Danny, I understand that…”

“Steve, the kids are not the only ones who are going to need support, alright? I can already tell you Eric will be a wreck, and I only have so many arms and eyes. And that kid respects you, ok? He listens to you.”

Steve rolled his eyes at that. “Danny, the only person Eric _really_ listens when it matters, is you. That first time he came here, after that car incident, you set him straight. I have no idea what you told him, but he left wanting to do something with his life, to be someone.” He smirked at him for a second. “You looked so hot when you were scolding him in your office. It was a whole new sight.” Danny snorted at that: he didn’t know Steve had been watching back then. Or that he had been watching  _ him _ . “And last year when… when you were shot” he said slowly, the words getting caught in his throat because it was such a painful time to remember. He wanted nothing more to just scrub it from his mind, forever. “Adam told me he was a total wreck. He felt guilty because he hadn’t thanked you for helping him out, for getting him a job here and taking him in, helping him find a place he could afford. Danny, he didn’t know if he would ever be able to tell you how much he loved you and how much you meant to him. We had to force him to go home and get showered and changed.”

“Oh.” He had never been made aware of this. He had noticed Eric clinging more to him, coming over more often back then, but he had just assumed it had been because he had been scared or because Stella had threatened him to keep an eye out for him.

“But yeah, I’ll come. There’s no way I’m missing on your baked ziti.” He grinned and kissed him again. “Now, let’s go home. It seems like we are the last ones.”

“When aren’t we the last ones?” Danny shot back, shaking his head.

“True. Do you mind if we stop on our way and pick up dinner? I don’t have much at home.”

“Of course I don’t mind, don’t be daft. I do want to eat, thank you very much. And I’m not eating Eddie’s kibble.” He replied, rolling his eyes at his partner. “Let me borrow your phone, I’ll call Stella before she rips my head off for not calling back.”

“Isn’t it a bit late?” If he was right, which he knew he was, it as around 11 in New Jersey, but Danny dismissed him with a hand, stating that Stella slept as badly as he did, so no chance she was already sleeping.

“Hi Ste.” He greeted, climbing on the passenger seat. “I know, I’m sorry… No, it broke down… Tomato-tomahto. I’ll call Bri tomorrow." He groaned, tipping his head back. “Ma said she’s staying with you? No, that’s fine. How is she?” He kept quiet for a while, but Steve could hear the eldest Williams talking on the other end of the line, her speech pattern so similar to Danny’s, just higher and with more accent than her brother. “I was thinking of asking her to move in with me, just for a while at least. There’s going to be too many memories in Jersey and you know how it is… Yeah, I’ll talk with Gracie and Charlie tomorrow. I know, I know.” His accent was quickly thickening at every word and if the topic wasn’t so heartbreaking, Steve would be zeroing on it. He had never told Danny, but he had always found his accent really sexy. He doubted he had a thing for the accent itself, but Danny's voice would drop even more then. “Tell her I’ll call at some point in the afternoon, ok? Your afternoon. Thank you Stella. I love you.”

Danny put the phone on his lap, sighing. “This is shit.”

“I know, I’m sorry Danno. I wish… I wish I could do more.” To ease his pain, because Danny loved so much, and so fiercely and he was probably feeling so hurt and so betrayed by a man he loved so much. 

It felt like the Williams men had no respect for Danny and his heart. First Matty running away instead of facing his problems and letting Danny help him out, and now his father cheating on his mum. And if he knew the Williams family, all of them knew that Rachel had cheated on him. God, he would make sure that his partner would never doubt him or his love.

Starting now.

In a split hair decision, he took the first exit, the one that went to the North shore. He was going to make sure Danno knew how much he loved him and he was going to do it by taking him out on a very impromptu date.

Although he should probably ask first if he didn’t want to be at the end of an epic rant about control issues and never taking his partner's opinion into account. Which was a lie, he did, even if he didn't always say so or demonstrated it. Hell, Danny's opinion was probably one of the thigns he valued the most in the world. Along with Mary's and... And Joe's. He grip tightened for a few seconds at the thought of the man who had been like a father to him for years, when his own father woulnd't talk to him. He had also valued Aunt Deb's opinion, but he had never known how to show it to her, not until he was out of the Navy and, then... it had been almost too late.

“You gonna tell me what just happened? I thought we were going to yours.” The cop said, leveling him with a look that said he better not lie. He didn’t seem mad, though just fondly exasperated.

“I’m taking you out. On a date. If… If that’s fine.” He answered, slowly, testing the waters.

Danny hummed and stretched as much as he could, the bruises were almost gone, but the gash on his arm was still pinkish. “It is more than fine. Any reason why?”

“Didn’t know I needed a reason to take my boyfriend out on a date.” 

“Uh-huh.”

Steve groaned: he would never win a game on eluding answers with Danny. “We’ve had some very intense weeks, ok? First with Ito, Luto and Rubio and then the kids getting stuck under the ocean… And now this with your dad and Clara. I want you to relax, alright? And I know if we go home... I know you’ll still think about it.”

Danny could not believe that Catherine had left Steve when the man was such a half-baked cookie. He reached over, turning Steve’s face and kissing him. “Alright babe, dine and wine me.”

Steve chuckled and leaned to steal one more kiss. 

* * *

They ended up going to Haleiwa Beach House, which was one of their favourite restaurants in the island. They had decided to share their meal and Steve could seriously say he had never had so much fun on a first date, but then, as their waiter was bringing their coffees, he realised that it was because it didn’t feel like a first date. Not when Danny was pressed next to him, hand resting on his thigh and was rolling his eyes at him. This wasn’t their first date. Or their second. It was probably their thousand-something date.

“Danno?” 

“Yeah, babe?”

“Did you ever think that when we went out it was almost like dates?”

The blond snorted and looked at him with sparkling eyes, clearly amused by the question and snuggled closer, protected in a corner.

"What do you mean?"

Steve shrugged before taking a sip of his remaining wine. “I’ve taken you out to nicer places than I ever took Cath. Or Lynn, for that matter.” He confessed. “We’ve been paying for each other food since always. And whenever…”

“ _ We _ ? Did you bash your head on our way here? Because the one paying is usually me.” Danny groused, hitting him on his side.

“ _ And whenever, _ ” he repeated, effectively ignoring the blond, who only huffed in reply. “we didn’t feel like going out, we had nights in. How many times have we cuddled on the sofa? Fallen asleep in front of the TV? How many times have you cooked for me, Danno?”

“More than I can count.”

“Exactly. I could probably count the amount times I did it with Cath, though. It had always felt forced, for some reason. Like I was doing it because it was expected of me, not because I really wanted, but with you, it always felt natural.” He confessed.

Danny nodded, in agreement: he understood. Every time he came back form one of their outings he had felt better and more at peace than whenever he went out with Melissa. “I’ve said  _ I love you _ to you more times than I ever told Rachel. You could even throw Gabby and Melissa in there for good measure and it wouldn’t change much.” _Or at all_ , he added in his mind.

Steve could swear his heart stopped for a few seconds upon hearing those words. They had always been easy words for them since the collapsed building, usually saying them  _ in public _ three or four times a week. At the beginning they had gotten funny looks from everyone in HPD, and he had seen Cath glaring at him whenever she heard him but  _ she _ had left him she had had no right to look at them like that.

That disastrous Valentine’s had put on a new light on how much meaning Danny put behind his words if he couldn’t tell  _ his girlfriend of several years _ that he loved her. He wouldn’t say it unless it was true.

Which basically meant everyone else was right about them from the very beginning. They could have had this so much sooner.

“Babe? Everything alright up there?” He tapped on the side of his head, one eyebrow arched.

“Yeah, it’s just… We are idiots, Danno. Had we listened to everyone we could have been together for years.” But Danny shook his head, surprising him. “No?”

“Think about it, Steve. What, uh, what would have happened if you found out about me being a shifter  _ after _ we got together? And also, I-I don’t think we would have been a good match back then, I was a hell of a lot... angrier and hurt. And so were you, and completely closed off.” He twisted around, bringing Steve’s face closer to his, plastering a kiss on his mouth, drawing it out. “So stop overthinking about it already. We are here, right? That’s what you should focus on. We’ve got all time of the world.”

Steve hummed, leaning in for another kiss, and only splitting when their coffees arrived. With one hand still curled around Danny’s nape, he looked at the waiter, and asked for the bill. 

“So, Mr. Surprise-date, what is it next?” Danny questioned when they were outside, heading for the car. He had his hands deep in his pockets and there was a lightness in his step that hadn’t been there since the call, but the tension around his shoulders and the angry fire behind his eyes were still there.

And Steve knew exactly what his partner needed to bring it down. Never extinguish, he wouldn't be Danny with out it.

“Swim. We can either go to Waimea or go home.”

Danny didn’t immediately reply. He leaned against the car, head tipped back to look at the sky, looking at the starry night. One thing was for sure, you couldn't have this in New Jersey. He felt the ex-SEAL settle next to him, glued from hip to shoulder, silent. Waiting.

If they went to Waimea they would have to put on their clothes while still wet, whichever form they took, and he hated that feeling, but if they went home, Eddie would, more likely, be there, and right now he needed time alone with his partner.

“Is Eddie home?” He ended up asking.

Steve blinked at the non-sequitur before answering. “Junior said he’d take him with him. His friend loves dogs, and he plans on going for a run with Eddie tomorrow morning. Keep him at work. Why?”

“Let’s go to yours.” He simply replied, kissing his cheek and getting inside the car.

* * *

The water was cold against his skin, but not as cold as Jersey’s was, and Danny could feel himself relax after every stroke. It wasn’t the same as boxing, not by a long shot. Boxing was where he could throw all of his anger and frustrations to a sandbag and leave with bruised knuckles, sweating and with muscles throbbing in delicious pain. It was just him, his anger and something to hit, no interruption, until he dropped to the ground, exhausted and gasping for air. Swimming, on the other hand… Swimming was basically man vs nature, he pushed to go further into the ocean, but it pushed him back to the shore with gentle waves, it pulled him afloat when he went to for dive. He sighed as he turned, staring at the stars once more and let himself be moved around by the water, feeling the gentle breeze brush over him.

Being in the water also helped him clear his mind, gave him time to think about what to do next.

Steve hadn’t come with him, excusing himself saying he had to straighten his room and change the bed sheets. He could believe the bedsheets excuse, but he knew how organised Steve’s room always was, especially on days where they hadn’t been called in at some ungodly hour.

Steve knowing when he needed to be left alone and stew in his own thoughts had been one of the many things he loved so much about the man. Coming from a big, loud and often noisy family was great, but sometimes it left no place for self-imposed isolation and quiet. It also meant that there were no secrets and sometimes, it was good to keep things to oneself, however much his mom would disagree.

He shivered, sensing eyes on him. He pulled himself right again, slowly treading, and looked at the lanai, where Steve was staring at him, leaning over the railing. With a grin he waved his hand, letting him know it was ok to join him, that he wanted him to be there with him.

He waited patiently for Steve to carefully fold his clothes and get into the water. 

“Hey.” He whispered when Steve got next to him, wrapping his arms around his neck, hands resting on shoulder blades.

“Hey yourself.” He paused for a second to check him over with what little light the moon could offer, but the ice blue eyes were starting to clear, the anger-fueled fire starting to die until the would only be embers left, ready to come back to life if needed and being replace for another fire. He wrapped an arm around his trim waist, pulling his partner flush against himself. “Everything good?”

“Yeah babe. Thank you.” He pushed in closer, taking Steve’s salty lips in his, one hand petting his hair.

Steve moaned into the kiss, the arm around Danny tightening his hold and opening his mouth to let Danny take what he wanted. Or needed. Whichever option was fine by him so long as Danny kept kissing him.

The ex-SEAL let go of his waist to run it up and down his back, going further and further down each time, until he had both hands settled in Danny’s ass, squeezing every now and then, relishing in the grunts he managed to pull from him. Danny tightened his hold and wrapped his legs around the other man’s waist.

With a growl of his own Steve took charge of the kiss, Danny put up a fight for it, but even without words Steve knew it was the same kind of fight he put up every morning with the Camaro, just for fun, knowing he’d give the keys up in the end, just like they both knew Steve would win this round.

But even when he let Steve have the upper hand, he was still feisty, grabbing and pulling at his hair, hips undulating against his abs and moaning every time Steve thrusted back.

He pulled away, breathing ragged and eyes burning with lust.

“Bed. Please.”


	8. Chapter 8

**“Bed. Please.”**

Steve growled in response before he let go him and started heading back, Danny following behind. They weren’t that far, but it seemed like the water stretched for miles and Steve just wanted to get there and have Danny in his arms again.

As soon as they made it, Steve hauled the blond up and out of the water and kissed him, growling into his mouth. He hadn't felt that desperate and starved of touch in a really long time. So long he couldn't even remember it. “Fuck, Danny…” He moaned when calloused hands ran down his spine and then back up.

“I know, I know. Inside, c’mon.” He pulled away and grabbed his wrist tugging him inside the house, heading straight for the ex-SEAL’s room.

The brunette said nothing, simply following him inside, his eyes going from his very biteable shoulders to his very plump butt, trying to decide which looked better, which one would feel better against his tongue, and coming up empty: Danny's ass was a thing of beauty, and he had heard uniforms talking, had even seem some _leering_. When he caught that he usually blocker their way by walking behind Danny, grinning in his head at the disappointed mutters. And if he was feeling more possessive than usual, or if there was someone he didn't like watching, he would wrap an arm around his shoulders and tuck him under his arm, Danny's own coming to wrap around his waist in an authomatic response.

As soon as they made it upstairs he pushed him against the wall, chest pressed against the blond’s back and he mouthed at the shoulders, unable to resist their pull.

“Fuck Danny, you drive me crazy baby…” He said against him, biting on the junction of his neck and his shoulder, grinning at the full body shudder that ran through his partner. “Like that, huh?”

“Hell yeah, babe…” He moaned in response, tilting his head to the side to give him more space to work at. And Steve really went for it, biting and sucking, leaving a whole map of small bruises, none of them high enough that his shirt couldn’t cover them.

But Danny needed to see him, needed to kiss him, so with a harsh shove to the wall, he pulled away, twirling around and bringing him down to devour his mouth, growling low on his throat when Steve simply opened his mouth and let him have the upper hand. He really never thought Steve would be this pliant, giving most of his precious control to his partner, trusting him to not hurt him. He bit his lip before sliding to nip at his throat, grimacing at the salt already caking in his skin.

“Fuck the bed, we are going to the shower.” Danny growled, slipping under his arm to swing the door to the bedroom, glancing at the ex-SEAL.

“Kinky Danno.” Steve replied, but complied with the unsaid order and walked up to him, wrapping his arms around his chest, playing with the thick layer of hair, steering them both towards his room, to the ensuite. 

“If that’s kinky for you, babe, just wait until we get to bed.” Danny shot back, grinning at him, loving the way Steve’s blush spread onto his shoulders and down his chest. He could feel the hit on his back. He stepped away and turned around again, looking up at him. “Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.” He mumbled before tugging him again, kissing him as they tried to turn the shower on, but that proved to be quite difficult when neither of them could see a thing and when their hands were busy touching as much askin as possible, so when Steve _finally_ turned the thing on, Danny divested himself on his board shorts and then Steve’s.

And it just went to say how many times they had undressed each other that it didn’t even register in their brains that this was the first time Danny was taking his clothes away to have sex and _not_ to take care of him when he was injured or sick (because despite what Steve and Junior argued, SEALs did, in fact, get sick. Especially if they were jumping in frozen pools)

Steve stifled a moan when Danny ran a hand over his butt, squeezing roughly, before he got into the shower, looking over his shoulder.

“You coming, sailor?” And as if he weren’t enticing enough on his own, he stepped under the water spray and… yeah, that was not something Steve could resist.

“Fuck yeah.” He mumbled, closing the door after himself and crowding Danny against the wall. “You look so fucking good Danno, you have no idea what you do to me…” He growled against his ear, hands mapping all the skin that he was _finally_ allowed to touch.

Danny chuckled darkly under him and without notice, he wrapped a hand around Steve’s cock and tugged.

“F-fuck Danny!” Steve thrusted into his hand, using the wall to keep himself upright. “Hn!” Danny had started to lick and suck at his nipples, clearly feasting on them and shit, that shouldn’t be as hot as this was. How the fuck was it that at almost 42 he had never known this felt so good? 

Danny grinned before he bit down on one, running his tongue over the tip, memorising everything it did to Steve: the quivering of his abs and thighs, the clenching and unclenching of his hands in an obvious attempt to try and grab something other than air, water and slippery tiles, the _sounds_ he was making. God, he had never expected him to be this vocal.

This was going too fast, he didn’t want to cum in the shower like some teenage boy with no self control. Maybe another day, but not today. He wrapped one hand around the cop’s wrist, who instantly pulled away, looking up at him.

“Steve?” He questioned when he said nothing, trying to catch his breath.

“Sorry. Just… Not here, you know?” He breathed, bending over slightly to kiss him. “I don’t want my first time with you to be fooling around in the shower, I want to make love to you. On the bed. Properly.” He said, pushing Danny’s hair out of the view, watching for his reaction.

Which one was searingly hot kiss, standing on his tiptoes and both arms wrapped around his neck. “You are so fucking romantic. Let’s get cleaned up and you can love me all you want, yeah?” He suggested against his lips.

“Yeah, yeah.” He kissed him again and pulled away, taking Danny’s shampoo in his hands, briefly wondering since when he had Danny’s things on his shelf, sitting next to his, before he started rubbing Danny’s scalp, the shampoo lathering up and maybe he had used a bit too much of it, but Jersey native wasn’t telling him off or ranting about how expensive it was no, he looked like he was in bliss: his head was tipped back, his eyes closed and his whole face, _his whole body_ , was completely relaxed.

He rinsed it off with soothing movements, massaging the scalp in small circular movements, going from his forehead to his nape, watching the small bubbles travel across his body, and took the body wash, staring at it for a few seconds before putting it back. “Danno?” The blond hummed in reply, his eyes still closed. “Can I use my soap?”

“Yeah. It’s what I used the other day too. I changed mine at home, you can throw it away if you want to.” He replied, there was no sense on keeping the mango soap anymore when he didn’t need it.

Steve poured some on his hands before he started massaging Danny’s shoulders, going down his back, his side, and then he knelt on the floor, continuing with his legs and the back of his thighs, before starting with his cute butt.

He poured more soap, but this time he did it directly on Danny, watching the small tremble when his hands started applying pressure to massage the firm globes and in between, teasing his entrance.

“Babe…” Danny mumbled, pushing back slightly. 

He took his time, enjoying the little sighs Danny was letting out, noticing how he got more and more relaxed under his ministrations, leaning more and more against the wall, using it to support himself, his arms above his head, ass sticking out.

He dipped his thumbs inside, intently rubbing against his entrance watching, mesmerised at the full body shudder that his action caused: it was breathtaking to saw Danny, who was usually like a strong wind that would take you away panting against the cold tiles. He felt the small hairs under his thumbs and bit down a groan at the meaning: Danny had been trimming. For him. 

“Baby, turn around.” He said, grabbing his hips and basically doing so himself. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of Danny hard cock: he was bigger than his stature might have suggested, but not so much that it would be grotescally disproportionate, and much like the rest of his body he was _thick._ With a gulp he resisted the temptation of just putting it inside his mouth and suck until he had Danny begging for mercy, because, again, that was not what was going to happen tonight. Maybe next week. He pressed a kiss above his bad knee and then another one his hip before he started to apply the soap on his thighs.

“Steve… Come here.” He rose again, taking the kiss he knew Danno was offering, resting both hands on his waist before he gently turned him around again, pressing him against his chest and he started to rub the soap on his stomach, feeling the hair, and it was pleasingly softer than he thought, and the hard muscles underneath, shifting every time he breathed. He kept his path upwards, stopping for a few seconds to play with his nipples, getting a small moan in response. They didn’t seem to be as sensitive as his own, but it very obviously made him feel good. “Driving me nuts babe…”

The ex-SEAL chuckled before he let go of him.

“Sorry. I just… I needed to.” He ended up saying, but the need to take care of Danny had been one he had been resisting for so long, and now he didn’t have to, now he was allowed to take care of his partner, his mate. And he was allowed to let his partner care for him without having to put up a front.

Danny chuckled at that, stepping under the water to let all the soap rinse off of him. “Believe me babe, I know that. Come here, my turn.”

He took his time, starting with his hands and going up his arms, stopping to trace the tattoos, feeling the small raise in some parts before he moved to his shoulders, massaging them and making a mental note to make sure Steve got all those knots undone in the near future. Steve groaned at that, widening his stance so that Danny could apply more strength. He moved to his neck, giving it the same treatment before he moved to his chest.

He traced the transplant scar with his fingertips, listening at Steve’s shuddering breath and before things took a turn to more serious waters that he did _not_ want to visit tonight, he playfully pinched his nipples again.

“Dannyyy…” He twisted under him, but the blond only chuckled and simply stroked them with the pads of his thumbs.

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.” He smiled before kissing him on the chin, biting softly. “You are just so responsive.” Steve groaned at that tone: if there was one thing he knew inside out it was Danny Williams and his tones and that one promised trouble.

Before he could get another word out the hands descended to his abdomen, soap bubbling on their way. And then they went to his back, stroking hard, tracing scars. He knelt on the floor, treating his thighs and legs in the same manner he had the rest on his body, fingers digging into supple flesh and hard muscles.

“Turn around, babe.” He mumbled, tapping him on the knee.

The brunette did as told and knowing he was going to get the same treatment he had given before, he braced himself against the wall.

And God! He wasn’t disappointed. Danny’s hands were calloused from handling guns day in and day out but still were so careful and gentle when handling him. He moaned softly when Danny circled his entrance, the other hand rubbing where his thigh and cheek met.

He wiggled, trying to get more contact, get Danno’s fingers inside of him. He hadn’t felt this needy ever before, and they hadn’t really started. And of course Danny knew what he wanted.

He moaned when the blunt finger breached into him, slowly, carefully and then it slid out again, before tracing his entrance again. “Danno, please.” He begged, turning his head to look at him.

“Sh… Not today babe.” He rose, pressing a kiss on the middle of his back, nipping softly. “Next time, if you want, I’ll take care of you. Whatever you want.” He offered. He had felt the short hairs surrounding his partner's entrance, it was clear he had been shaving and probably washing himself every day. Or _almost_ every day.

“Yeah…” He turned around and kissed him, at a much slower pace they had before. “Let me do my hair and we can go to the bedroom.” He mumbled.

He nodded and stepped aside, but still stayed inside the shower, drinking in the image of his partner's stretched form, the way the water slid down his body. Steve was beautiful. Inside out. That was all he could think of, just how lucky he was to have such a perfect man in his life. How Catherine could feel like Steve couldn't give her everything she needed, he'd never understand. How Lynn decided that Steve wasn't enough, would never make sense to him.

“I’m done, Danno.” Danny blinked at him, surprised to see him right in front of his, cupping his jaw. “There you are. Where were you, hm?” He pushed his nose into his hair.

“Sap town, apparently.” He replied before turning his head to give him a sweet kiss. “Let me dry you?”

Steve swallowed at that, and nodded. He wasn’t used to being treated with this much love and delicacy, and it felt really good knowing that Danny wanted to take care of him that much.

The cop smiled and led him outside, taking the towel by the door and he started to pat him dry, one hand curling around him to give firm tug. Steve growled, taking the towel away and throwing it to the side, taking the other one and drying Danny, making sure to take care of his hair, running the towel down his back and over his ass. 

With one last swipe over his stomach he threw it in the same direction as the other one and then led him to the bedroom, pushing him down on the bed.

“God Danno, you are so beautiful.” He said, kneeling between his legs and kissing a line from his stomach to his chest, nuzzling the twin scar he had. “Gonna make you feel so good, baby.” He whispered before kissing him.

Danny groaned, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to keep him down, pressed right on to him. And fuck, Steve’s hands were everywhere, but there was always one in his ass, grabbing and squeezing.

“Steve, babe…” He tried to reverse their positions, but Steve was not letting up, pinning him harder against the mattress.

“No, baby. This right now? Tonight? This is me taking care of you. All you have to stay here, just like this, and look as gorgeous as always.” He told him, pushing up to stare at ice blue eyes. He brushed his knuckles along his cheek. “Sound good?” Danny only nodded, bringing his hands up and spreading his legs, a total show of trust and submission. Steve could feel his heart beating against his ribs at that: not only for the symbolism, but he looked hot as hell. He leaned down again, and pressed a quick to his lips. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” He whispered back before he settled against the mattress. 

Steve only smiled before he slid to his neck, planting soft kisses as he went He slid to his shoulder, going up his arms, nipping on his bicep, leaving small red marks in his wake, knowing his shirt would cover it. He pressed a kiss on the inside of his elbow and moved to his forearm, kissing softly, licking at his wrist, pressing a loving kiss on the palm of his hand before he made his way his down again.

He pressed a kiss on his cheekbones before giving the other arm the same treatment, gently twisting it to the side so he could kiss the scar he got right after knowing each other.

Danny was letting out small sighs, but he still hadn’t moved an inch, which for someone like him was an amazing feat. The only time he had seen so still was when he was the trigger for a bomb.

He kissed him on the lips again, running his right hand through his damp golden locks. “Still good?” He had his eyes half-open, shining with lust and love and that was a look Steve would never forget. He had never been looked at like this before. With Cath and Lynn, there had been lust and care for each other, even love, with Cath, but never so pure, so unadulterated.

“Hm-mh. Perfect babe.” He replied, smiling at him. “But keep going, please.”

“Sh, sh, sh. I told you I was taking care of you, didn’t I? Let me do my job.” He kissed him again, plunging his tongue in deep, drawing a moan from Danno’s lips, swallowing it.

He gave him a smile before he nuzzled the scar in the middle of his chest, kissing it softly as he made his way to one of his nipples, sucking until it was a hard nub, tongue flicking over the tip. Danny’s sighs grew louder with each pass, but he hadn’t moved yet. He moved to the other nipple, swirling his tongue around it and then nipping, canines breaking the skin a bit.

“Fuck!” Danny moaned, his head tilting to the side.

Steve grinned before doing it again: so Danno liked it rough. It shouldn't have been that surprising, not really. Not when he fucking punched him within the first 48 hours of knowing each other. God, he was perfect.

He made his way down, mouthing at his left side, biting a bit harder than before now that he knew what Danny liked, but still loving, still careful and soft, he didn’t want it to be rough; they would have time for that at a later date. He sucked hard on his hip, leaving a large mark behind, one that he knew would not be covered by his shorts at the beach.

“Possessive much, Steven?” Came from above and of course Danno knew why he did it. He shot him a smirk before following his path down his thigh.

“Like you aren’t, baby.” He shot back, kissing the inside of his thigh the same way he had kissed his arms.

The blond didn’t say anything, he just sighed again and melted into the mattress, his legs falling open some more. Steve bit his lip to contain a whimper at that sign of absolute trust. He rubbed his other thigh as he kept peppering kisses on his bad leg, especially on his knee, licking every now and then.

After a while he moved up and without warning of any kind, wrapped his lips around the red tip.

The moan he tore from Danny could wake the whole neighbourhood, he was sure of that. He swirled his tongue around the fat crown before releasing it with a wet pop, lips trailing down the shaft to the base.

“Ste-steve!” 

Danny was wiggling now, torn in between pulling away from the scorching pleasure or pushing closer and letting it consume him as he did with all the emotions Steve brought out in him.

“Stop thinking.” Steve said, pushing up again to lock eyes with him, caressing his stubbled cheek. “We don’t have to go all the way, if you are going to come, then come. I don’t care if you last 5 second, I just… want to make you feel good, Danno.” He pressed a kiss on his parted lips. “Got it?” Danny nodded, for the first time bringing one arm down to hook it around the back of his neck, keeping the ex-SEAL in place for a few more kisses. 

“We are too wound up to actually make it, huh?” He questioned. Steve chuckled: of course Danny would know that it wasn’t just him who was on the verge of exploding, he wasn’t a detective for no reason. “Tomorrow morning, I’m going to return the favour.” He promised, and with one searing kiss, he let him go, returning to his previous position.

“Tomorrow? But work…”

“It’s Thursday.” Danny muttered, watching him with rapt attention.

“Ah. Good.” When Adam had joined the team, they had all agreed that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday would be extra days off: Tani and Junior had theirs on Tuesday, Adam and Lou had Wednesdays and Danny and Steve had picked up Thursdays.

The Governor had not been happy that the leader of her task force and his second in command would be out on the same day, but after the whole team made her see it was the best course of action, given their passed stunts when the other had been hurt, kidnapped or just in another country and how little reign the others had on them when seperated, she agreed, on the condition that they would check on the team at least once during the day and that if anything major came up, they would go back to work. Lou had been ready to remind her that Danny crash landed a plane for Steve and then went on to burn a whole meth ring to the ground.

With one last kiss under his navel, he went back to making his partner see the stars. He grabbed his good leg and hooked it over his shoulder, elbows pressed on the mattress and hand cupping that glorious ass. He licked from the base to the tip before taking it into his mouth, sucking. He took in as much as he could, but it had been a long time since he had been with another man, none of them appealing to him anymore since he realised he was in love with his Danno. And that had been years ago so yeah, a long time.

He wrapped a hand around the base, stroking him at the same time as he bobbed his head, his other hand still on Danny’s cheek, fingers trailing to his entrance teasingly, rubbing it gently.

“Go-Fuck Ste… Steve oh, ah, ah!” He was grabbing the slats on the bed so hard that his knuckles had turned white and he was having trouble not thrusting into Steve’s warm and wicked mouth.

It wasn’t the best blowjob he had ever gotten but the love and care he had been treated with and the fact that it was _Steve_ were pushing him towards the edge a lot faster than he wanted to admit.

The ex-SEAL sucked harder, tonguing the slit and then Danno was crying out loud, back arching off the bed and toes curling. Steve drank everything greedily before letting go with a soft pop. He helped Danny ease back on the bed, running his hands from his hips to his chest, tat was heaving with Danny’s gasps for air. Carefully Steve moved, prying his fingers open so he’d let go of the wooden slats, massaging one hand and arm, then the other to ensure good blood circulation.

After a few more minutes Danny turned to look at him, eyes glassy with pleasure and endorphins. He followed the hand that pressed on his cheek until they were kissing.

“Okay, Danno?”

The blond didn’t say anything, he simply nodded before his eyes zeroed in Steve’s cock, hard and leaking. He wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him closer, enough that he could suckle on the head if he so desired.

He licked his hand and wrapped it around Steve, loving the way his hips thrusted into it, quite obviously without the man’s permission.

“Oh Danno!” He moaned, grabbing the headboard with one hand to keep himself from crashing on top of his lover. “Yes, baby…” He couldn’t keep quiet

Danny smiled and tightened his hold, letting him fuck his hand at whatever pace he needed to get himself there. He let it go like that for a few minutes before inching closer and swiping his tongue over the head, groaning at the taste. How the fuck did he taste good?

“B-baby, I-I’m gonna, I’m gonna cum…” He moaned, looking down at fiery blue eyes and he saw how he opened his mouth, taking the tip in and sucking, repeating the same move he had done on him, and that was what threw him over the line, fucking into his hand and his mouth.

Danny milked him through it, his touch gentleing when Steve started to shake, finally letting him go and easing him down the bed next to him. Rolling onto his side he moved closer, fitting himself against him, running his fingers through dark hair, letting him catch his breath.

After a couple of minutes Steve turned his head around to look at him, smiling when he saw the debauched state he was in: bite marks colouring his body, his usually perfectly styled hair was a fluffy mess and his eyes… Never had he seen so much love in them. Danny returned the smile before he moved closer and pressed their lips together, coaxing his mouth open and Steve obeyed immediately. There wasn’t any tongue involved, it was just a sweet kiss, a thank you of sorts.

“I love you.” Danny said once they pulled away, settling on Steve’s chest, one leg in between his, arm curled around his waist.

“I love you, too.” Steve replied, pressing a kiss on his head before setting a hand on the small of his back, the other one top of head, scratching lightly. Danny hummed in pleasure, and he knew that if he was in dog form, his tail would be wagging like crazy.

* * *

He drew in a big breath before opening his eyes, Steve’s smell filling him. Slowly he pulled away, admiring the man below him.

When they first met he despised the man’s guts, ordering him around as if he was a good little sailor, someone from his beloved Navy. It took a while before he realised that Steve was as broken as he was, and that behind that rough exterior and the walls guarding his heart there was just someone who wanted to be loved. And to love in return. Even to this day, he could still remember the smile on his face when he thought he had gotten him a present. It had been small, but bright and beautiful, and he hadn’t seen one as genuine as that one in his face yet.

Even now, he rarely showed it to someone who wasn’t a Williams or a McGarrett, and he felt for the world, because they were missing out. 

He moved until he was hovering over him and kissed his ridiculous handsome face, starting on his forehead then down the bridge of his nose, his cheeks, his closed eyes before kissing his lips, sliding down to his chin and his throat, mouthing at it but making sure of not leaving any visible marks. He blew over one perky nipple before rolling his tongue around it. He felt Steve tense for a few seconds, and almost immediately relax. Looking up, he saw that his eyes were still closed.

“I know you are awake, babe.” He mumbled before biting softly on the tip.

“Hn! Good… morning to you too.” He breathed out, setting one hand on his nape and playing with the small tail of hair there.

Danny hummed in response before licking around the tip, pulling a stifled moan from his lover. 

If Steve could pick a way to wake up every morning that would be it: Danny’s warm and compact body within reach, making love to him and just, _right there_. For him to touch and admire in the soft glow of the morning sun, for him to know and treasure. He wondered how many people knew Danny like this: Rachel, Gabby, Melissa. But he knew that none of them had ever treated Danny like he had the night before, like he deserved, after all the shit they had pulled on him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just smut, so if you are not into that kind of things, you might as well wait for the next one!

**If Steve could pick a way to wake up every morning that would be it: Danny’s warm and compact body within reach, making love to him and just, _right there_. For him to touch and admire in the soft glow of the morning sun, for him to know and treasure. He wondered how many people knew Danny like this: Rachel, Gabby, Melissa. But he knew that none of them had ever treated Danny like he had the night before, like he deserved, after all the shit they had pulled on him.**

And God, Danny must have been intent on killing him or something, because he was doing one hell of a job of leaving him breathless: he was relentless in his sucking attack, making Steve moan louder than he could ever remember being each time and his cock was certainly responding to the treatment.

He could remember one single occasion where he had been this vocal and so responsive to this kind of treatment. Not that he was really surprised, Danny seemed to always know things about him that he himself wasn't aware of. He had never really put much attention on his nipples, he had just assumed that it was only women who felt good with this kind of treatment and god, had he been wrong. Part of him mourned the fact that he hadn't knows that before, another part of him liked finding it out with Danny, because it was just one more things that only Danny knew about him.

He wrapped his free hand around Danny's bicep, squeezing. Ever since Danno had started boxing again three years prior his arms had become rock solid muscle. He needed to talk Danny into letting him watch him. It had been the one thing Danno had wanted to keep to himself, refusing time and time again whenever Steve asked if he could tag along, just to watch. And Steve had obliged. It had taken all of his efforts not to follow him to the gym, but there was no way he could do that with Danny not seeing him, so he had given up. And it had paid off, because every now and then, Danny would suggest to spar together. 

And it was one of the things they did together that he cherished the most, because unlike surfing there was no one else from the team involved, it was a 'them' thing. No one else involved.

He brought his other hand down, going from his head to one shoulder, to the other and seriously, they should be illegal. He pressed one of the bites he had left the night before, and Danny shook, he teeth scraping his nipple, making him roll his hips against Danny's stomach. 

“Fuck baby!” He moaned, feeling the hairy stomach against his cock and he never thought it would feel _this_ good. "Oh!" He had gone on double assault now, rolling his other nipple between his fingers. “You sure like… my nipples.” He said, tilting his head backwards.

And Danny jumped off the bed, hands flat against his thighs, eyes downcast and he was flagging down really quick. Steve took a couple second to work out what had just happened, and he was still feeling it when he sat up, staring at his partner with confusion written all over his face. What had just happened?

“Baby? What’s wrong? What…?” He didn’t know what just happened, one second he was in cloud nine with Danny bringing him more pleasure that he had ever felt during foreplay and the next second he was halfway across the room and looking like he was getting ready to be kicked out.

“I-I’m uh, I’m sorry. I should... have asked if, if, if that was… I’m sorry.” He was clenching and unclenching his hand now, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

“Danny, I-I have no idea what you are talking about.” He moved to the bottom of the bed. “What are you doing over there? Come here, tell me what happened.” He patted the spot next to him. Danno was reluctant to sit, but in the end he did. “What’s wrong, baby? What would you be sorry for?” Danny was still not looking at him, so with a small sigh Steve tilted his head by cupping his face, forcing eye contact. And he frowned at the anxiety he found there: the last time he had seen him this nervous had been when Rachel and him had gone to the hospital with Charlie to see if the treatment had worked or not. “Baby,  _ please _ talk to me.”

Danny opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times before he actually made a sound. “I’m sorry.” He said, slowly. “I should have asked you if… if you were comfortable with... with that." He moved his hand in a circle, over Steve's chest and stomach. "I just… didn’t think. I’m sorry.” He repeated, forcing his face out of his hold.

Steve didn’t reply immediately, so instead he took one of Danny’s hands, bringing to his mouth, dragging his lips through the knuckles, sucking on them gently. “I wouldn’t have known what to answer.” He finally stated, tightening his hold when Danny tried to pull away, pulling him closer instead, until he could borrow his nose into his hair. “No, don't go. Listen to me. I wouldn’t have known, because no one’s ever done it before, ok? Hell, it had never occurred to me it could be this good.” He confessed, kissing him on the temple before he grabbed his chin and kissed him, his tongue dipping inside his mouth, drawing out a long moan from his partner.

He heard Danny swallow when they split, his eyes shining with love, so much love, but still tainted with insecurity. God, he wanted to rip all of those who had hurt him to shreds. “Good?”

“Yeah baby, did you or did you not hear me moan?” He asked and before he got an answer, he took Danny’s hand and wrapped it around his cock. “I mean…” The blond let out a little manic laugh before moving to straddle him, kissing him deeply. “Yeah, that’s more like it.” He wrapped both arms around him, holding him close. “Now, if we could go back to what we were doing…”

Danny wiggled in his hold. “Yeah? You don’t have to do it for me.”

Steve sighed, pushing for another kiss, getting lost in it until air was needed. “I’m not. I like it. A lot.” He insisted. “You know me better than that, Danno.” He added after a few seconds. 

Danny nodded: Steve had come such a long way from the closed off man who would not say when he didn’t like something because he had been trained to endure anything life could throw at him. It had taken more patience than Danny knew he possessed and constant reassurances that it was ok the say no when he didn’t want something. They still struggled with it, but Steve now knew that  _ no  _ was an option.

“Ok. Lie down again.” He instructed, sliding off his lap and letting the ex-SEAL resume his previous position. “God, you look so good like this.” He praised as he crawled over him. “Absolutely gorgeous.” He mumbled, kissing his stomach. Whatever had he done to deserve this man, he would never know.

Steve smiled at that: it was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that Danny had called him that. And god did it felt good.

With a shy smile Danny licked on his nipple, pressing soft kisses and while he liked it a lot, he really wanted to go back to what they had been doing before, the hot and heavy stuff.

“Danno,  _ more _ .” He growled, tugging the blond strands.

The blond huffed before going back to sucking and pinching hearing Steve’s moans in the background. He could feel his cock twitch against their stomachs, smearing precum on his hair. He pressed down harder, smirking when Steve's hips moved again, probably without the man's permission. 

He grabbed his hands and brought them up, to the slats on the bed. "Grab there, and don't let go." He said before kissing him, not letting Steve have control this time around. "Yesterday was about me, right?" He mumbled against his lips.

Steve nodded, his brain hazy and his lungs empty of any air after the blond almost stole all of it out of him.

"Good. So today is about you. Whatever you need, or want, I'll give it to you."

"I just... I need you Danny. Close, with me. Touching me, loving me."

Danny sighed: Steve was such a gooey cookie. He kissed him again, softer this time as he let his right hand wander all over the expanse of his torso, rolling a nipple between his fingers, drinking the small gasp.

"Always, Steve. I love you so much."

"I love you, too. More than anyone." He smiled at him, and Danny could swear he melted at the sighed of that gorgeous smile Steve saved only for him in the privacy of their homes. 

He wrapped a hand around the hard cock and tugged, gently, watching how Steve closed his eyes, his mouth falling open and head thrown back. His eyes zeroed on the bullet whole on his side, thanking who ever was up there for not taking Steve away from him that day. He would do it all over again if it meant that Steve got to live, if it meant that he could have him on his bed, caring for him, loving him in all the ways possible, if it meant that he could bring the ex-SEAL all the pleasure he could give him. And all the love, too. Because if there was something Steve deserved over everything was love and happiness. Life had fucked him over enough times as it was, his father sending him away and being killed before they had a chance to reconnect, Doris lying to him over and over and over again because he was an asset to her own war, and Deb... Deb dying before he ever had a chance to demonstrate her how much he loved her. 

He knew it had torn him inside when she passed away, right in front of him. That day, all he had wanted to do was wrap him in a giant blanket and shield him from the world, but Steve would have never allowed that, not back then, so he had waited until he had come to him on his own, offering whatever Steve needed: a shoulder to cry on, someone to distract him form everything inside him or just someone to sit down and drink Longboards with.

“How do you want to do it?” He questioned, his hand still on Steve cock, the other one brushing his balls with the tips of his fingers with barely any pressure

Steve blinked at the ceiling, the words not really getting through the haze in his brain. “What?”

Danny rolled his eyes, but it was more for show than actual annoyance, not with Steve looking like that. “Sex, babe. Do you want to fuck me? Or should I fuck you?” He said, dipping the hand lower and circling his entrance, smirking at the sharp intake of breath he got as a response. “Hm? You’d like that, babe? Me inside you? Making you come with just my cock?” Steve whimpered at that, legs spreading open even more. “Yeah, babe?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, arching into the touch. “Fuck, Danno.”

“Of course, that’s the plan.” He replied cheekily, before dipping and nipping at his thigh, drawing a soft moan from the sprawled man. “God babe, the sounds you make…” He praised, staring at how Steve blushed.

“Shut up.” He mumbled.

“So long as you don’t.” He nipped again before pulling away. “Roll over.”

Steve did as told, moaning when his cock pressed against the hard mattress and his stomach. “Knees under you.” Danny instructed, already pulling him up, Steve shuddering as he got into position. "You good babe?"

"Yeah. Yeah." He breathed out, relaxing: this was Danny, he could let him take the reigns, he knew Danno would never hurt him. He had proven so time and time again.

"Ok." He kissed the small of his back before jumping off the bed. "Lube?"

"Second drawer, right far corner." He instructed, watching how Danno retrieved it.

“Condoms?”

Steve turned his head to the side, staring at his partner. “No. I don’t want to use a condom.” He said.

Danny froze in the middle of rustling through the drawer, head turning slowly to look at his partner. “What?”

Steve shrugged,and Danny had to bit his lip down when he watched the muscles in his back ripple like water. “I know you are clean from the physical last month. And  _ you _ know I’m clean too. And we haven't had to go to the hospital once for a bullet or a graze, so... Yeah, I don't want to use one.”

“Okay, if you are sure.” He climbed on the bed again, leaving a kiss on Steve’s back. “If I hurt you or you want to stop, you tell me, ok? No negotiation on this.”

Steve had wanted to argue, but he knew Danno well enough to know he would not win, so he nodded, relaxing back against the mattress, shoulders losing almost all of their tension.

Danny's hands kneaded his cheeks, pulling a soft whimper from him. Blunt fingers teased his entrance, rubbing gently, making him spill even louder moans: he should have known Danny would make him be vocal, the man brought out things in him that sometimes he thought didn’t exist anymore.

He heard the click of the lube being opened and the wet squirting sound. He shivered when the slightly cold liquid touched him. Danny kissed his cheek at that, mumbling something Steve didn’t catch, probably an apology.

Danny rubbed his thigh before pushing the first finger in, drinking in the long moan Steve released. He pumped in and out for a while, until Steve started to get antsy, then he added the second, stopping when his partner hissed.

“No, keep going, please.” He turned his head to look at Danny, an almost pleading look on his face.

“You promise me you are good?” Danny questioned, rubbing his thigh with his free hand, and the feel of hairy flesh instead of smooth, almost hairless skin sent a jolt of pleasure through his body that he had not been expecting.

“Yes! Danno, please!” He rocked back, gasping when the fingers proved deeper. “Ah… Fuck…” He moaned when Danny took a hold of his cock again and started stroking in time to distract him of the fingers in his ass.

He worked him open slowly, mostly because the last thing he wanted to do was hurt him, but also because he wanted him wet and desperate. He wanted Steve to be a mess before they got to the fun part.

“There!” Steve pushed back against his fingers, raising onto his arms and knees to gain leverage, fucking himself on Danny's fingers, head hanging and moans and whimpers spilling form his lips. He had widened his stance, his legs now bracketing the blond man.

Danny chuckled and curled his fingers again, directly striking his partner’s prostate. He let the ex-SEAL carry on for a couple of minutes before adding a third one. Steve whimpered for a few seconds before he continued at a slower pace for one minute or so before he picked it up again.

And god, he was _tight._ Danny thought, his fingers snug inside of his lover, and just the thought of his cock inside of him, with that pressure was almost enough to finish him

“Don’t worry babe.” He murmured as he grabbed him by the waist, helping him flip onto his back. “Is this alright?”

Steve smiled at him before grabbing his arm and yanking him up, kissing him and pouring everything into it, one leg curling around his waist so he could feel all of Danny against himself.

“I want to see you.” He simply stated before releasing him, rubbing his ass against Danny’s hard cock.

Danny kissed him on the cheek before moving away, kneeling between Steve’s open legs, admiring the beauty that was spread right in front of him. He blindly grabbed one of the pillows, sliding it under Steve’s lower back. Danny grabbed his right leg and hitched it up before positioning himself and pressing in.

He went in slowly, one hand pumping Steve to distract him from the pain, pausing every time his lover tensed.

“You are so beautiful Steve,” he praised. “And you are so open with me, letting me see what you need, what you like. So good for me.” 

Steve moaned at that: it felt good when Danny praised him. Praises were not something he grew up with and it was like Danny had decided he needed to cram all those he had not being given in the least amount of time possible now that they finally were together.

And at this rate, he might end up with a praise kink.

When Danny finally bottomed out, Steve reached out to him, curling one hand around his thigh, fingers gripping tight, needing as much contact as he could get. Danny’s breathing was harder, and his hands, much like his own, were gripping at his hips, thumbs doing a circling motion.

“You ok?”

He nodded in response. “Just… give me two minutes.”

Danny hummed and, letting go of his hip, he took his hand in his, kissing it. “Take as long as you need, babe. We don’t have to be anywhere.”

Steve could feel his heart do a flip at those words. Danny was such an amazing person, never taking more than he was given, and even then, sometimes one had to insist for him to take what was offered. One day he would understand how so many people had left him behind, it made no sense.

He let go of his thigh and grabbed his other hand, stilling it, before forcefully tugging him upwards, kissing him deeply when he was within reach. Their height difference made the angle a bit weird, but he’d be damned if he let that be a problem for them.

He wrapped his legs around Danny’s trim waist, moaning when Danny got even deeper.

“You are amazing. I love you.” He mumbled, watching how Danny’s face reddened. Maybe he wasn’t the only one with a thing for praises. Not that it was surprising, really.

“I love you too.”

“I know.” He whispered back before kissing him again. “Hm…” Danny rotated his hips, creating enough friction that it felt amazing, with no pain. Steve started to copy the movement, moaning in the kiss every time, until they had to break it off to gasp for air. “More, Danno! Please…” He whimpered.

“Shh… I’ve got you, babe.” He pressed a final kiss on his lips and rose again, hands back on his hips before he withdrew, slowly, making sure Steve could feel every centimetre of his cock sliding inside him. He pulled until only the tip remained inside his partner, watching his face, searching for discomfort, but he found none, so he pressed in again, still at a measured pace.

Steve wasn’t sure if he was in heaven or in hell. Danny felt amazing inside him, giving him more pleasure than he had had in the last years but the bastard was teasing him with that rhythm! He wanted it hot and heavy, he wanted to scream his partners name in pleasure, not in frustration at being slowly driven mad. 

Danny knew exactly what he was doing, but he wanted Steve to let go of any semblance of control. And it wasn't any easier on him than it was on the ex-SEAL. Steve was tight and his little choked sounds… God, he could listen to those to days on end. Part of his mind wondered when was the last time he had bottomed.

"Danny, God! Faster, please. Please." His hands were fisting the bed sheets above his head, leaving his body taut and stretched for Danny to admire. His hips were undulating, trying to get more friction but Danny's death grip on them preventing that, his cock hard and red leaving a smear of precum on his stomach.

"Don't worry, I'll get you there." He shushed him, bending to kiss his nipple, tongue swirling around it.

"Oh!" He arched into the touch, his mind splitting in between rutting against his lover's cock or arching further into Danny's mouth.

The blond seemed to make the decision for him, sucking harder, teeth grazing the tip. Steve felt the familiar feeling of being shocked when Danny tugged on it and without giving the blond any indication of his next move, he flipped them, legs still wrapped around him, moaning hard and long when Danny went in deeper.

“Fuck, Steve! A little notice would be nice!” He didn’t seem mad though, so Steve gave an experimental roll of his hips.

“Fuuuck…” He slumped forward, his hands coming to rest next to Danny’s head. “You are so mean, Danno…” He complained, hips still gyrating to get used to this new position.

“I am, huh?” He grinned at him, hands going down to his butt, helping him with the motions. “Well, Mr. Control Freak, you are on top now. What are you going to do?” His breathing was ragged too, and Steve liked knowing he wasn’t the only one affected by the slow rhythm.

He braced himself by planting his hands on the mattress, one in each side of Danny’s head and started riding him setting a fast pace almost from the get go. A long hard moan tore from his lips, his eyes rolling at the back of his head.

“Yes, baby. So good!” He fisted the sheets on his hands, head hanging low. “Fuck, you feel so good!”

Danny was moaning too, underneath him and Steve loved that image: his face was red, his pupils blown and his mouth was open, gasping for air. His fingers were grabbing his ass, pulling his cheeks apart, fingers dipping in, stroking the stretched ring of muscles, making Steve whimper.

“I love you babe, love you so much.” Danny said before pushing himself up so he was sitting with Steve still on his lap. 

“Danno, please…!” He had followed the movement, his hand now grabbing Danny’s back and his mouth moved to his shoulder. God, he had such nice, bitable shoulders. 

“I know, I know.” He grunted before he pushed him onto his back, stilling for a moment to adjust themselves, drinking in Steve whine when friction ceased momentarily. “Fuck, Steve.” He rose to his knees again, pounding into his partner with enough strength to make the bed rattle. For once he was very glad he was there and not in Jersey, in an apartment with neighbours in every wall.

Steve was meeting every thrust, hands flat against the wall to avoid sliding up the bed, head thrown back and mouth open, filthy moans spilling from his lips.

"Ah!” He arched his back, heels digging into the small of Danny’s back.

The blond grinned, trying to angle his thrusts to make Steve see stars again and for the most part he succeeded, Steve voice getting higher and louder.

“Fuck, babe, I’m going to cum.” He grunted, shifting his grip on his thighs.

Steve only nodded in acknowledgement and wrapped one of his hands around his own hardness, stroking in time with Danny’s movements.

It didn’t take much longer until Danny doubled over, buried to the hilt inside his lover, cumming inside of him. He took a few seconds to get his breathing back and then moved back onto his knees, replacing Steve’s hand with his own, at the same rhythm Steve had set.

Steve’s orgasm was ridiculously quiet compared to how vocal he had been. The sticky pearly liquid ran down his fingers, making even more of a mess.He kept milking him through it, loving the way Steve’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, how his free hand clawed at the sheets, the other one still flat against the wall, thighs and abs quivering deliciously. And the way he was clenching around his half-hard cock… God, had they been in their twenties, he would be ready to go in a few more minutes. But they were not, so with a kiss on his hip he pulled away, both of the shuddering at the friction.

Danny slumped next to him, his head next to other’s stomach, legs half hanging off the bed. Their breathing is harsh and quick, gasping for air. He felt a hand on his head, threading on the mess he knew his hair was.

“Love you, Danno.”

He craned his neck back, to catch a glimpse of his partner. “Love you too, babe.” Slowly he pushed himself up the bed, collapsing on his shoulder, one thigh slotted between his lover's and one hand on his arms, fingers brushing over the tattoo. “You good?”

Steve snorted at that. “Never been better.” He paused for a second, nuzzling his head. “You are one giant tease, though.”

“Mh-hm, you didn’t seem to mind much. I’m amazed you can still talk.” He replied, nuzzling back on his throat, kissing and biting softly, making sure to not leave a mark that wouldn't be covered.

“Shut up.” He was trying to scowl at him, but his blissed out face and soft voice betrayed him. 

“Like that has worked before. Rest for a while and then shower?” He suggested, bringing himself up to look at his hazel eyes before he dropped a kiss on his nose.

“Sounds good. Separately?”

“Yeah, otherwise we won’t do much cleaning.” He agreed, cuddling in closer, humming when Steve started to rub his knee. “Steve?” He said after a while.

“Yeah?” He could tell that whatever Danny was going to say was not something playful or that he should take lightly. He had years of experience at reading his best friend’s tones, and that one was definitely his serious voice. “Baby, what is it?” He pressed when Danny didn’t say anything, rolling onto his side to be at eye level with him.

“If Ma does-If Ma does agree to come here with me… Would it be ok to tell her about us?”

Steve blinked, surprised at the question. He almost felt insulted by it! He pushed Danny onto his back and straddled him. “Danno, of course we can tell Clara. Besides, if you really think we can hide it from her, you don’t know you mother at all.”

Danny made a face, but Steve knew he was right: Clara was sharp as a tack, and Danny had definitely gotten it from her. He was a mama’s boy, and they both knew that.

“I want to tell Mary, too.” He admitted. “I… I never get to tell her happy things.”

Danny smiled sadly at him before he pushed up to kiss him, softly, nothing more than a simple a peck, but it said more than words ever could. “Invite her over. Ma would love to see her and Joannie again.”

“Yeah. They’d love to see her again, too.” He kissed him on the head. “I shower here and you take the downstairs one?”

“Yeah. I’ll call Rach so we can have the kids over tonight.”

Steve gave a short nod and slid out of bed, smirking when he felt Danny’s eyes on his naked ass, so he gave a small wiggle, chuckling when Danny groaned.

“You are a cruel man, Commander.” He heard him get off the bed and walk towards him.

“I don’t recall you complaining last night.” He replied, leaning against the door, admiring Danny’s naked form. God, he  _ really _ understood his partner's swagger.

He was slightly taken by surprise at the loving smile he got in return before he had an armful of Jersey Detective in his arms. “Last night… Last night was lovely, Steve. It was perfect. No one… No one had ever done that to me.” He confessed, resting his head on his shoulder.

_ That _ didn’t take him by surprise. In a bad way. “Their loss, baby. Love you.” He tipped his head back and kissed him. 

Danny hummed in the kiss, hands smoothing down his back and to his ass, parting his cheeks, fingers swirling around his entrance.

“D-Danno…?” Steve mumbled, gently shying away from the touch, still a bit too sensitive but not wanting to upset his partner.

“Sorry. Cum was trickling out of you and…” He shrugged, moving his hands away.

Steve felt his face burn at those words, burying it in Danno’s shoulder, an embarrassed moan escaping his lips. 

Danny chuckled against his shoulder, one arm wrapping around his waist. “You are gonna be the death of me, babe. How can you be this cute, huh? Big bad Navy SEAL one moment and the next you are a cute shy puppy. Go shower, c’mon.”

“Shut up. You are no better.” He grumbled, still not letting go. “You go from angry mouthy Jersey cop to adorable dork in seconds.” He bit on his neck before sucking gently. “Go call Rachel.”

“Sir, yes sir.” He returned the bite on his shoulder and stepped away, leaving him alone to shower.

* * *

Steve moaned when the hot water hit him. He took a longer shower than his usual 3 minutes ones, letting the water wash all the dry cum, saliva and lube off of his body, making sure he got all of Danny’s come out of himself, too. He whimpered at the feeling: he was still sensitive, but not so much that it was downright painful. Maybe next time Danny could do it for him, he mused. And he could do it for Danny, too. 

Once completely clean he dried off and got dressed in board shorts and a T-shirt. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to tame it the best he could.

When he got downstairs, Danny was already sitting on the counter, fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, socked feet lightly tapping on the door when he swung his legs and munching on an apple, Steve’s cellphone on his ear.

He looked adorable and soft around the edges, in a way he rarely showed to the world, besides his children. Or children in general, to be honest.

Steve walked up to him, tilting his head back to kiss him, licking the apple juice when he pulled away. They traded small pecks until Steve pulled away and started making their breakfast: eggs, bacon, toast and coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so my city is officially on house confinement (or however it's called) because of coronavirus for probably at least two weeks, so I might be able to post more regularly now since I have nothing else to do. At all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Steve walked up to him, tilting his head back to kiss him, licking the apple juice when he pulled away. They traded small pecks until Steve pulled away and started making their breakfast: eggs, bacon, toast and coffee.**

**“Steve? Is something the matter? Is Danny in the hospital?”** Her voice sounded anxious, and a part of him like that even then she still worried about him.

“It’s me, Rach. Can you talk?” 

**“Hello Danny, yes, I can. Is everything alright?”**

“No, not really. It’s Ma.”

 **“Clara? What’s wrong? Is she sick?”** For all of her faults, Rachel had always cared about Clara and his siblings. Her and Eddie were never close, but he suspected she liked having a mother who didn't judge every single decision she made and accepted her for who she was. While they were together, at the very least. **“Is it your father? Is he alright?”**

“No, _he_ is the problem. He has… hum… He has been cheating on Ma. For about a decade, that we know of.” He said, and as the words left his mouth, it hit him how violent it was to tell your ex, who had cheated on you, that your father had been cheating on your mum at around the same time.

 **"Oh."** She paused for a second, no doubt the same thoughts going through her mind. **"I take it you want to tell the children? Charlie has guitar practice today, but if I leave early I could pick him and drop him to yours before going to get Grace."**

"No, that's fine. Steve and I are free today, we can pick them up, don't worry." He didn't really want to see her together, he didn't want the memories of her telling him she had been cheating on him with Stan written on her face, he didn't want her apologies either.

 **"Ah, I see.”** Her voice was clipped, and it had taken an extra layer of ice, which usually meant trouble for him. **“Can I ask you something?”** He scooted to the side when Steve went to get the coffee maker, squeezing the side of his neck, to which the brunette replied by smiling at him before retreating back to living room.

"Yes, of course you can."

**"Are you and Steven… together?"**

He felt a flare of panic grow inside, but he decided to play it cool. He looked up at Steve, but he had his back to him, setting the table, and he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad one. Sure, they had talked about telling Clara and Mary, but that was it. He hadn't even thought that he should probably tell Rachel, not that he really had to, but it was probably common courtesy, right? He had always relayed on Rachel questioning Grace whenever she got back, but his daughter would never suspect him and Steve because they were always together.

"Well, it's our free day and we usually spend it together. We might go surfing." He replied, his voice steadier than he thought it would be but his lover easily heard his doubts him right through it because in the next three seconds he walked up to him, standing between his open legs, fingers running through his scalp.

"You can tell her." He mouthed silently before pressing his lips on his forehead.

Rachel let out a long suffering sigh, clearly annoyed at her first ex-husband, as if she had just remembered how Danny was when he had to talk about feelings that weren't anger, worry or disgust. And they had a tendency to mix. **"That's not what I mean and you know it. Are you two** **_together_ ** **? A couple?"**

It was Danny's turn to huff before answering: he had always hated that particular tone of his ex-wife, of all the things he had missed about them, that had never been one of those things. "Yes. We are. Is that going to be a problem?"

 **"If your sexuality had ever been a problem, Daniel, I wouldn't have married you to begin with."** She shot back, getting angry if he was to judge by her tone of voice and yeah, ok, Danny could admit that she had a point there. **"Anyhow, it was time."** She stuttered for a second. **"I know you probably don’t believe me, but I'm happy for you. He's a good man, he'll be a great partner. Like you deserve."**

He couldn't help the smile that spread on his face at those words and Steve returned it, even without knowing why his partner was smiling so brightly. He made a grabby motion with his free hand and Steve walked up to him, once again settling between his legs, hands settling on his thighs. The food was already out of the stove, so there was no risk of burning anything.

"Yes, yes he is.” He didn’t bother to say that she had also been good when they had been good, that she too deserved to be happy, because she could have been, with him, with Stan, but she single-handedly had ruined both of those relationships. “I'll drop the children after dinner."

**"No, it's your weekend this week, they can stay with you until Monday."**

“Ok. Thank you. See you around, Rachel.”

**“Good bye, Daniel. Say hello to Steven for me.”**

He set the phone on the counter and wrapped his arms around Steve, kissing him, one hand petting his damp hair. Steve hummed in appreciation as he settled his hands on his hips. The kiss dragged on, but in the end Steve pulled away, leaving smaller, softer pecks and they went to the dinning room to have breakfast.

“I take it she took it well?” 

“Yeah well, as well as she can take it, y’know? I don’t really think she had feelings for me, but I was the safe bet for her.” He explained. 

“Safe bet?” 

Danny shrugged. “It worked before for her, right? Back when started working together, didn’t it? And she knows none of my relationships hadn’t lasted, so I guess she thought it was because of her, that I was still in love with her. It probably never even occurred to her that the reason I never worked out with someone else was because of my ridiculously good looking, extremely goofy and lovable partner.” He had a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

Steve chuckled at that as he sat down next to him. “You are a smooth talker, Mr. Williams.” He tutted before kissing him again. “How’d she know, then?”

“She probably starting suspecting something was up when we left the kids that first time we shifted with you.” He nosed him on the neck. “But she would never ask with you there. She has done many wrong things, especially to me, and she can be cruel and vindictive, but she would never out someone.” 

Well, that was a point in her favour, Steve thought. But his heart was swelling with love, and respect, and so much pride at Danno’s words: he had finally accepted that Rachel was not a good person. It had taken years of listening to them fight on the phone, of calming his partner down, reassuring that he was a great father, one of the best Steve had ever known and that he would never know how many children wished they had him as a father, of Danny defending her when he attacked her, but Danny had _finally_ said it out loud and believed in his own words.

One day he would tell him how much it would have meant for him if his dad had been even just an eighth of Danny and had gone to visit him, even if it had been just once. How much it would have meant for Mary, too. 

A wave of emotion washed over him, and he hugged him tightly from the side. “I love you so much, Danny.”

"Eh? I love you too, Steve." He rubbed his nose on his shirt, breathing in deeply, arms wrapping around his waist and squeezing tightly. "Wanna go for a hike? In paws?"

Steve pulled away, looking down into ice blue eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. So long as it's not a popular trail. And we take the car first. I don't…"

"Yeah. Yeah, Danno." He kissed him again. "How about we go to the petroglyphs? I promise not find another dead body or get hurt."

Danny laughed at that. "Oh well, if you promise…" He grabbed his phone again. "Let's eat and then I'll call Ma and we can go."

"Ok. I'll call Kamekona and get some food for us to pick up and go." He pulled away and took his face in between his hands. "Clara will be alright, yeah? We'll make sure of it."

"We, huh?"

Steve nodded, slowly. "I mean, if-if you want, yeah."

Danny rolled his eyes at him. "Babe, of course I want to. I told you right, my family is your family. For as long as you want us."

"Well, I guess you are stuck with me then."

Danny gasped, clutching the shirt, over his heart. "Oh no, the horror. I take it back, I want nothing to do with a trigger happy goof like you."

“Sorry, no going back now.” He grinned at him before going to fetch his own phone.

Danny shook his head, amused at his partner’s actions: he knew Steve was a lot sweeter than he let on, him and the kids were probably the ones who received most of his smiles and touches. Even before they got together. But had he ever thought he would be _this_ touchy feely? Gravitating even more than usual towards him every time they were alone? Dropping kisses and I love yous all the time? Not really. He was really getting used to it, though. And loving it.

They basically swallowed their food without chewing, both famished after the morning workout.

* * *

Without thinking it twice, he called his mum, holding his breath without realising he was doing it.

 **“Hello?”** Her voice was so weak and wet, miles away from her usual cheery tone. No doubt she had been crying.

“Ma, it’s me.” He said. 

**“Oh, Danny, baby! Your sister told me you would call.”** He could picture her drying her cheeks in an effort to look more presentable, even if he couldn’t see her.

“Yeah.” He swallowed, not really knowing what to do or what to say. “How are you doing, Ma?”

**“Oh, I’m good. Stella has been taking good care of me. We went out to New York yesterday to have dinner with Carl. He is such a wonderful man, Danny. You need to meet him. He’s also a Police officer, he works in Narcotics, I believe.”**

“Ma, Ma. Stop. That’s not what I asked.” He interrupted her.

She sighed, defeated, knowing better than to try and evade answering her Detective son. **“You know how it is, Danny.”** And yeah, he knew. He knew better than most. He also knew he and his mum grieved differently: whereas his mum cried and started cleaning like a crazy person, he yelled and broke things, one time his own fingers after slamming a wall. **“But at least I’ve got you kids.”**

“Yeah. Listen, about this. Why don’t you come out here with me? The kids miss you. I miss you.” He looked up at Steve when he heard him knocking on the table, and saw him point at himself. “Steve says he misses you too.” He chuckled.

**“Oh Danny, I would love to, but I can’t stay with you. You have your own life and…”**

“Ma, _please_.” He gripped the edge of the counter. “You said it yourself, ok? I know what’s it like to be in the same place where all your memories are. And believe me, it only gets worse. Everything you see, hear or smell will bring something back. You won’t have any of those out here.” And for all he had bitched about Hawaii, it had helped. Not seeing all those places Rachel had loved, where they would take Gracie to play, the school she went to. “You can stay here for as long as you want. We can make the guest room into your room, ok?”

**“That’s a lot of money, Danny, I can’t let you…”**

**“Don’t listen to her, D! Bri and I will pay for it, too.”** Stella yelled.

**“Stella! You can’t do that! And don’t yell!”**

**“Why not? Eric hasn’t lived with me for years, Carl will be moving here so that’s less money that I’ll have to pay. And I’m getting promoted at the end of the month.”**

“What the fuck, Stella? Why wouldn’t you tell me about this?” He exclaimed, the conversation going off topic but well, that was their everyday anyways.

 **“Because I wanted to do it once it was done!”** She replied. **“Oh, Bri is here. We’ll put you on speaker.”**

**“Hey, is that Danny?”**

**“Yeah. We are trying to convince Ma to move with him.”**

**“Hello Ma.”** He heard the telltale sounds of someone kissing cheeks. **“Hi D! How’s everything?”**

“Hot, humid and sandy.” He replied with a flat tone, making his sister laugh at him.

**“Ok, children, settle down. Why are you asking me if I want to go when you all have clearly decided that I’m going?”**

The was a pause before they all exploded in chuckles. **“She’s glaring at us, D.”** Bridget stage whispered. **“No, but seriously Ma, it’ll do you good.** ” Her tone had changed, now being serious. **“You deserve to be happy, and I don’t really think you’ll get that if you stay here.”**

**“But your father…”**

**“You let us handle him.”** Stella said.

**“But what if he needs…?”**

“Stop worrying about him!” Danny exploded, ignoring the three sharp intakes of breath at the other side of the line, and Steve worried glance. “He doesn't deserve it. He didn’t care if he hurt you, so he can go to hell for all I care.”

**“Daniel, don’t speak about your father like this!”**

“He is not my father. From the second he decided to cheat on you, he stopped being my father. He will never understand what’s it like, ok? He won’t get any sympathy from me.” He growled.

 **“I’m sorry.”** His mother apologised. **“I know how hard this is for you and I’m sorry. You really want me to come live with you?”**

“Of course I want, Ma. You think it’s been easy being out here, unable to see you guys more than two or three times a year?” He sighed. “And I told you, it’s not just me. Grace, Charlie, Eric, they all miss you too.”

 **“And Steve.”** Stella added.

“Yeah, and Steve.” He chuckled. 

**“Ok. I’ll come. I just need to take my things from home and…”**

**“We’ll come with you, Ma. Lord knows you’d try and ship the bed.”** Stella said. **“Also, we should go today, because your flight leaves this Sunday.”**

**“You already booked the flight? Then what was all of this about?”**

**“Just letting you think you actually had a saying in the matter.”** Bridget said. **“Oh Danny! Jeannie and I were thinking of coming to visit you with the kids this summer.”**

“Really? I would love that.”

 **“Oh hey, maybe I can convince Carl to come too! Have a Williams’ trip.** ” Stella exclaimed. 

“That… That’d be great.” He would love it. To have all of together in the place he called home. That his kids called home. Where the people he loved the most were at. For his family to get to know Steve in his element. He looked up and saw Steve watching him from the door, arms crossed over his chest and an impossibly soft look in his eyes. “Hey guys, I gotta run. I’ll talk to you after I talk to the kids, ok?”

**“Yeah. Love you D.”**

**“Bye Danny. Love you!”**

**“Bye sweetheart. Thank you for calling. I love you so much.”**

“I love you too, Ma. Everything will be alright, I promise.”

**“I know. Thank you.”**

He hung up, and stared at the little black screen, thumbing it. He looked up when Steve moved. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. We may or may not have ganged up on her, but she’ll be coming here by the end of the week. The girls will be paying for the plane ticket and for shipping some of her stuff over.” He slid off the counter. 

“I’m happy for you, baby. You deserve to have her close.” He said, scratching the side of his head.

“Hm, so do you, babe. Prepare for her to mother the hell out of you when we tell her.” He smiled up at him. “You ready to go?”

“Apparently, since you basically hung up on them saying you needed to go.” He teased.

“Next time, if you want, you can talk with the three of them at the same time.” He shot back. “I love them, I really do, but they talk over each other and I end up with one hell of a headache.”

Steve rolled his eyes next to him. “Yeah, I can’t imagine what dealing with multiple Williams members must be like.”

“Shut up, you schmuck.” He hit him on the arm, rounding the Camaro to get to the trunk. Steve followed, curious as to what was his partner looking for. “Collar.” He said as he took it from his overnight bag, handing it to him.

“You always carry it with you?” He turned it around between his fingers, stroking the underside. It was thicker than the kids' and the buckle was silver and heavier. His didn't have motifs but it was black leather with silver seam lines. It was purely Danny.

“Yeah. Just in case.” He turned around to stare at him. “I know it bothers you but it’s been so long that I feel weird if I’m outside and I don’t wear it.”

Steve frowned at those words, and shook his head. “Danno, you don’t have to explain, ok? It does bother me, that’s true. But it’s the reason behind it, not the fact that you feel better wearing one. It’s like me going outside without a gun, I feel naked, too.” 

Danny nodded. “Thanks babe.” He kissed him on the cheek before he climbed on the Silverado. “You called the kids?”

“What?”

“The kids Steven. Work. Have you called them?”

"Me? I called last time! It's your turn this week!"

"Yeah? And how do I call them, you schmuck? Pigeons? My phone got shattered, remember?"

"It didn't get shattered on it's own Danny! _You_ shattered it!" He shot back as he pulled out of the driveway. "And you've been using mine to talk to Rachel and Clara!"

"You really want me to call them at 10am in our _free_ day from your phone?" 

Steve grunted. "Ok, you've got a point there." 

As far as the team (minus Junior) was concerned they were still simply talking things out, not in a full blown relationship. And they knew they spent their free days together, but they had always done so anyways, but it was one thing for them to call from the other's phone at after 12, when they usually met for lunch and another to call them at barely 10am.

“We are getting you a new phone tomorrow, though.”

“Ok, fine. Now please call them before we get there. Because I will not run up that damn hill again.” He groaned as he took the phone and call Tani and put it on speaker, giving him a pointed look.

“Alright, alright.” He leaned over and stole a kiss, Danny pressing back.

**“Hi Steve! Howzit?”**

“Good, good. How is everything? You caught any case?”

**“No, but it’s still early.”**

“Yeah. Listen, Danny and I will be out of reach until 14-14.30. We are going hiking and we won’t have service for a good part of it.”

 **“Danny** **_agreed_ ** **to go hiking?”** Disbelief was colouring her voice so wildly that Danny almost told her off himself.

“Danny _suggested_ we go.” Steve shot him a smirk. “Anyway, we’ll be on paws, so if anything of immediate danger happens you’ll have to send a chopper, you can track the car if needed.”

**“Alright. Camaro or Silverado?”**

“Silverado."

**“Alright! Have fun!”**

Steve hung up and gave his phone back to his partner, who simply turned it on again and started play on the poopy penguin game. 

The ex-SEAL eyed his partner before talking. He had never thought about it, but that time, Danny had gone and came back to him in record time, fast enough that not even him, back then, could have gotten close to his time. Which left just one possible explanation.

“That time, you shifted.”

“What?” He didn’t look up, he was about to smash Steve’s record.

“That time, at the petroglyphs. When you had to go up the hill and call, you shifted.”

Danny didn't answer immediately, but then nodded. “Yeah, of course I did. There’s no way I could have reached the top, call Kono and come back to you that fast in this form.” 

“Why… Why would you do that? We didn’t know. I could have found out.”

Danny sighed, pausing the game. “You were injured Steve. With a possible concussion for all I knew, of course I shifted. If you had found out then, we would have worked on it then. But you didn’t.” He shrugged.

Steve didn’t reply, his eyes focused on the road. How the hell did he never pick up on it? Or even thought about it? How many other times had he shifted, for their sake? Compromising himself and something he considered very private for their team? Back at the beginning, when Danny yelled at him for everything (more often than not he did have a point, but he would never tell him, or anyone else, that) and he was so… condescending, thinking that a simple cop couldn’t know more about getting information than him, one of the things he liked about Danny, one of the reasons he had made him his partner was that he always came through, he always had his back no matter what, and this was just proving it further.

“Did you ever…?”

“Yeah.”

“When?”

“Aloha girls.” He replied curtly. “Had to leave Madeleine behind and it’s always easier to track in dog form, and I was kind of in a hurry. Why am I even telling _you_ this anyway? You are a tracking dog.”

“You were dressed.” He knew that. He was sure he would remember a naked Danny in the middle of the forest. He would remember that very well.

“I had a backpack, once I had a clear direction I shifted back. Why the sudden interest?” He had put the phone away, sensing that he would not get to go back to it any time soon.

“It just hit me.” He answered honestly. “Any other time?” He had gone still. And a still Danny was a Danny who was thinking of not telling the whole truth. “Don’t even think about it, Danno. When.”

“When we came from Montana, ok? You were having nightmares, so I’d shift and lie next to you. You kept calling me Eddie, so I knew you didn’t know it was me.” He explained. “You would almost always calm down, and when you didn’t, I’d shift back and wake you up.”

Steve nodded, he could not count how many times he woke up in Danny's arms during the following month, and even now it still happened occasionally, thick and soothing voice, heavy with Jersey accent talking to him, bringing him back from wherever his nightmares had taken him. Some times it was next to Joe in Montana, some others it was hearing his dad being shot on the phone, North Korea and the time Wo Fat had kidnapped and tortured him more often than not became one, Danny with the sarin, Danny being shot in quarantine, Afghanistan.

Afghanistan had been the first time he had been truly terrified of dying. Terrified of what it meant. Terrified of never showing his sister how much he loved her, Joanie and aunt Deb. Terrified of having to leave Danny without having ever told him how much he loved him, how much he meant to him. Of not seeing Gracie grow up and of losing his little ohana. Wondering if they would be sad for his death or if they would just carry on with their lives.

He had wanted to kick himself for thinking that when the first thing he saw was Danny, sitting on that tiny, very uncomfortable looking stool next to him. Only god knew how long had he been sitting there, guarding him and probably telling of more captain that he really wanted to know about.

Had wanted to kick himself again when they finally made it home and the first thing he got was an armful of Kono clinging to him followed by Grace clutching his shirt in her hands. Chin and Lou had hung back, waiting for their turn, but even then they had both squeezed him tighter than usual.

Grace didn't let go of his hand the whole ride back to Danny's place, where he would be staying until he was well enough to move around on his own.

He parked the car, right behind Kamekona’s truck and before Danny could take his seat belt off, he had a lap full of former Navy SEAL devouring his lips. He wrapped a large hand around his nape, the other resting on his shoulder. Danny responded in kind, even if took him a couple seconds to understand what was happening. He whimpered when Steve tugged his head back to get a better angle. After a couple minutes Steve ripped himself away, chest heaving and eyes half-lidded, watching how his partner also gasped for air, his cheeks tainted a lovely red.

“You are the best partner one could ever have.” He confessed. “And I don’t mean just at work.”

Danny smiled at him. “Nothing you wouldn’t have done for me, babe. Nothing you _haven’t_ done, as a matter of fact.” He stretched up and kissed him again, tongue proving inside his mouth but not letting it get as steamy as the previous ones.

Steve wasn't the only ones with nightmares, Danny had them, too. Matty in a barrel, his daughter being kidnapped, in a car accident so brutal that she could have died, his son dying in a hospital, Grace dying in September 11th next to him while he was unable to do anything to save her. All the people and children he had not been able to save or to provide justice for over the years. Steve dying in Wo Fat's hands, in Afghanistan, from radiation poisoning, from jumping onto a moving truck, from going to get the kids underwater. And Steve had almost always been there for him when he woke up drenched in cold sweat and unable to fall asleep.

He would even answer his phone and talk him down to get him to calm down. And that's how much Steve meant to him, that just hearing his voice was enough to bring him back from bordering panic attacks.

“I know you stayed by my side in the hospital when I was shot." He continued. "How the hell you managed to convince the doctors to let you stay, and in dog form, I don’t know. And I know that you shifted to fit with me in the bed before the antidote kicked in, when we were in the boat, before they got there. And when I was still unconscious after one day and a half, in quarantine.”

He could feel a blush creeping in: it had been embarrassing enough to do that in front of the kids, but to know that Danny was aware of it was almost mortifying. “How…?”

“I could feel somebody else with me. Tani and Junior would never do so unless we were at risk of hypothermia. And only you would do it. You know me well enough that to know I would only let you do it. And I know you were checking that I was still breathing.” He paused for a second. “And it probably helped you sleep too, right? Knowing I was alive?”

“Yeah. God Danno, you have no idea how scared I was. It was…” He sighed. “It was like the sarin gas all over again, but ten times worse because I couldn’t get you to a hospital, and your lungs had already been shot to hell before. When I saw trembling and almost unresponsive in the boat, I thought that that was it, that if somehow I made it out alive I would have to call Gracie and Charlie and tell them that you had died and that I had been directly responsible for it.”

“Responsible for it? _Responsible for it?_ What are you even saying, you absolute putz?” He looked like he was going to go on, but he closed his mouth and took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds before exhaling, slowly. And Steve knew that “Yeah, no. We are not doing this right now. This conversation is tabled for now. We are going to get our food, we’ll go to the damn ancient graffiti and we’ll go back to mine for the dinner with the kids, which I know is already going to be a shit show if I know Gracie and Eric. That ok with you?”

“Yeah, of course it is.” As if he would ever press anyone to talk about feelings. His feelings, especially.

“Good. Now go out there and get our food before you completely cut off the circulation in my legs.”

“Ok.” He kissed him again, nipping at his lower lip. “Love you.”

“Yeah, love you too.” He grinned before tapping him on the ass. “Go.”

Steve chuckled and opened the door, sliding off to the ground. “Stay put.”

“Woof woof.” Danny leaned over the open window. “Want me to wag my tail at you? Stick my head out and roll my tongue out while we are driving?” He yelled.

“Sure, Danno! Whatever makes you happy!” He rounded the truck, knocking on the side. “Hey Kamekona, mahalo for getting us food ready to go.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He handed him the food. “You are lucky you are my favourite haoles, McGarrett. Where’s Jersey at?”

“Waiting in the car.” He grinned at the man, paying for their food.

“Right. You two have fun. Make sure you don’t find ‘nother dead body up in them mountains.”

Steve groaned. “Will you _please_ just let it go? You are like dogs with a bone.” He grumbled before heading back to the car handing the bags to the blond. “You actually stayed. That must be the first time you listened to me.”

“I’m pretty sure I listened to you last night, babe.”

Steve paused for a second, the image of a compliant Danny under him, trusting him with all his being flooding his mind, and then he turned, watching him. “Yeah, you did.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Steve paused for a second, the image of a compliant Danny under him, trusting him with all his being flooding his mind, and then he turned, watching him. “Yeah, you did.”**

It took them a little over 40 minutes to reach the trail and park the car. “You shift first Danno and I’ll collar you.” 

The Detective nodded before going on tiptoes to kiss him, Steve chasing his lips when he pulled away, standing flat on his feet again. “Thank you, babe.”

And with that he started to undress, folding his clothes as he went, putting them on one of the backpacks, and once naked, he shifted, tilting his head for his partner to slide the leather around his neck. He rubbed his head against his leg once it was fastened and the tags were in place. Steve then put one of the the backpacks on Danny, the one with food and their cellphones inside.

Steve chuckled before kissing him on the nose. “See? Adorable.” He looked behind him when he saw dust rising. “Wagging your tail at me, huh?” Another happy bark was all he got in return.

It was only a matter of minutes until Steve had shifted too and was nuzzling his partner.

They started off racing each other, but after a good fifteen minutes they had slowed down to just trotting up the trail, flanks pressed together, nuzzles and loving bumps being a constant. 

When they finally reached the petroglyphs, Steve undid the Velcro straps on the backpack and Danny shimmied out of it, letting it hit the ground before he laid down, facing the petroglyphs. They were interesting, and knowing his partner like he did, he could understand why Steve was so fascinated with them: the man was not only a nerd for Sciences, he loved History as well. And the view was just breathtaking, that much he could admit: the bright blue sky, the lush green of the trees and the red of the stones. You couldn't get things like this back in Newark, peace and quiet were not things one would associate with his birth place.  _ He _ didn’t associate those with it. Or with his family, for that matter.

He buried his paws on the rocky ground, a growl raising from his chest at the thought of his mother, crying herself to sleep in Eric’s old room because her husband was a piece of shit.

Steve nuzzled him on the head before laying next to him, head on his back. Without talking about it, that had turned into their position when they were in their shift forms. It helped both of them relax, just like cuddling in their humans forms did, and Danny felt his anger slowly retreating. It was still simmering and he could explode at any time, he was self-aware enough to know that, but right now he could let go of it and enjoy his morning with Steve. It had been too long since they had spent a day as relaxed as this, outdoors, where Steve was always the happiest. Especially if he got to share it with him.

After a while Steve stood up and stretched, looking at Danny with expectant eyes and with a groan, the bigger dog followed his example, taking the bag in between his teeth and going up the mountain again. 

Steve was a few feet ahead of him, and man did it feel good to be able to run at full speed without fear of running into someone they might know. He looked at him and Danno was just trotting up, but he felt like running. He still had so much energy inside of him, that even after Danno thoroughly fucking him he felt like he could run a marathon. 

And he knew that despite his constant grumbling when it came to running and exercising, he was a lot more active that he let out, one didn’t have a body like his by sitting around. The broad and muscular shoulders, his arms, his strong thighs, his hard abs... He groaned at himself for thinking like that in the middle of the forest, not the time or the place.

He barked at him, tail wagging from one side to the other and Danno rolled his eyes at him, but still sped up to catch up with him, pressing close when he finally arrived next to him. He barked again before he took off, shifting the hold on his bag so it wouldn't smack him on the face.

He could feel Danny close behind, but he was still faster. But then again, Danno's breeds were known for fighting, not running.

Steve slowed down when he arrived where he had wanted, Danny next to him in mere seconds, a small clearing, completely out of the trail, only known to to those who had found it before.

He dumped his bag and laid on the soft grass, on his side. He craned his head back when Danno settled next to him, nuzzling his flank until he moved and curled around the mixed dog, huffing in pleasure.

Steve couldn’t be happier right now: he knew Danny was touchy, _everyone_ knew that he liked to touch others, especially Steve, and he also knew that the blond was not adverse to cuddling, but it had always been strange for Danny to actually initiate it, he usually followed: if Steve wrapped his arm around his shoulders, Danny would wrap his around his waist, and if he was feeling bold, he’d slip a hand inside his rear pocket and squeeze, playfully. If they were out and Steve draped his arm on the back of the couch, booth, chair, whatever it was, Danny would lean in, thighs and hips glued together, but partying slightly at the chest. If they were at one of their houses, Danny would slide close and rest his head on his shoulder at the same time Steve wrapped his arm around his shoulders, letting his hand hang over Danny's chest. 

But now… Now Danno would lean in for kisses, would reach out for him and, when in paws, he would prompt cuddling a lot more, usually growling when Steve put up a show of not wanting to.

And god, this morning… this morning had been the best way to wake up. And Danno had teased him to hell and back, but it he had made it so good for him, made sure he was fine with everything that was going on and that he wasn’t in pain. Sex with Cath and Lynn had always been fun and teasing, but never to the degree Danny had brought it, never hot and heavy and with the intention to break him to then put him back together. He was used to giving the pleasure too. 

He knew himself well enough to know that he would have never dropped all his barriers and pretences with someone else, only Danny could give him the sense of being safe, of not being judged. Correction, of not being judged when it came to the important things. And only Danny seemed to know what he needed at each time, just like he always knew what his partner needed. And it was great that they were so in sync, because it was not uncommon for them to not know what _they_ needed, always relying on their partner.

He pressed his nose against the top of Danny head and then moved, tugging on Danny’s collar until he raised his head, clearly not happy at the interruption, but still allowed Steve to manhandle him however he wanted, but all the GSP did was set his head across the cop’s paws and sigh in contentment. Danny rolled his eyes before resting his on Steve’s upper back, leaning a bit heavier than needed for a few seconds before easing up again.

* * *

Both their heads snapped up when a branch broke not far from where they were, but the voices and the heavy footfalls kept going, so they relaxed again, but now that their peaceful moment had been interrupted they stood up, stretching. 

Danny went to the other side of the clearing, looking at everything and then stopped, turning around to look at his lover, who was roaming around with his nose buried in the soft grass and an idea popped in his head.

Steve's instincts picked up at the last moment, right before Danny slammed his paws on his back, making him stumble a bit. He turned to see what the hell had gotten into him, bark already on his throat but he stopped when he saw the position Danny had taken: crouched down, back in a perfect arch, butt wiggling in the air and tongue lolling on the side.

He blinked at him a couple of times, processing the image in front him. Did Danno… Did Danno want to…  _ play _ ? His angry, grumpy, negativity-first partner wanted to play like pups? Well, he was not going to decline it, that was for sure, so he took off running in the opposite direction, Danno jumping right after him. 

And he was fast, but so was Danno. And it was obvious that while he had the edge when they were in their human forms, Danno was definitely more used to his animal form, knocking him onto the floor after a few seconds of chasing.

He managed to push him off, tumbling onto the floor, the mixed dog let him go and ran a few meters away, waiting for him. Danny quickly charged against him again.

Steve growled happily before pouncing on his lover, but Danny barely even moved. God, he was solid.

He tried again, raising on his back legs and pushing with his front and he could tell Danno went down willingly, but hey, he’d take it.

Or… not.

Before he knew what happened Danno had flipped them again, nuzzling his neck as he shifted back, Steve following his lead almost immediately.

They smiled at each other when they were completely human again, Steve wrapping his arms around his partner.

“Hey.” He mumbled.

“Hey.” Danny grinned and pressed a kiss on his nose before lowering himself on Steve’s chest. “God, I haven’t had this much fun in years.”

“Me too baby, me too.” He brushed his lips on Danny’s head. “We should get dressed.”

“Yeah, we should..” Despite his words, he gave no inclination of moving.

“Danno…”

“Ugh, ok, ok.” The ex-SEAL watched how he pulled up and rolled to his knees, stretching his arms above his head and fuck, if they were home Steve would be all over him. “You like what you see?”

He grinned back at him. “Very much so. I mean, I’d be crazy to not like it.” He pushed onto his knees too, almost knocking headfirst with his lover, his hands sliding from his butt to his biceps. “Really crazy.” He drawled before kissing him, hands squeezing his arms.

When Danny tried to deepen it, he pulled away, smirking at him when Danny glared at him. “Clothes.”

“Fuck you, Steven.”

“Nah, I believe it’s your turn next,  _ Daniel _ .”

Danny only chuckled before he followed him, wrapping his arm around his waist. “Can’t wait, babe.”

They slipped into their boxers and shorts, forgoing the shirts before Steve laid down again, using his own arm to prop his head up, Danny quickly moulding himself next to him, his head resting on Steve’s chest.

Steve brought his other hand up and started rubbing Danny’s shoulder and the back of his neck, feeling how he melted against him, warm puffs of breath against his chest, raising goosebumps.

It amazed him the change in behaviour on Danny depending on what form they were in. Danny was no frail flower, he could easily stand his own, but ever since he told them about his true nature, whenever they were in human forms he would make himself even smaller when they were alone, let Steve wrap his arms around him and shield him from pain, in that way Steve had been longing to do for years now, but whenever they were in their animal forms, he would be the one in the role of the protector, letting Steve do as he pleased with him to be comfortable and happy, to make sure he knew he was  _ safe _ , both emotionally and physically.

And Steve maybe wasn’t a traditionally trained detective, but after so many years working with his team, of working with Danny, he had learned how to really read people, emotionally, not a cue of body signals, especially Danno, and it was easy to see the reasoning behind that: they both knew Steve was the strongest and more able of the two in their humans forms, but Danny had demonstrated to their whole team that he was a fighter in his animal forms. They all knew none of them could ever win him in a proper fight.

And one of the things he had always liked about him was that Danno was so sure of everything he could do, but he was also very sure of what he couldn’t do, and let someone else handle it. And he wasn’t afraid of saying when something was upsetting him, or when he was afraid of something. Yeah, he usually announced it by yelling and with a lot of verbal violence, but he never cared about that, it just made him more genuine.

* * *

Danny had almost dozed off when Steve’s stomach grumbled, pulling a laugh out of him. He kissed his neck before rolling onto his back, finger thrumming over his lover’s stomach. “Hungry, babe?”

“Hell yeah. I’m amazed you haven’t started eating grass yet.”

“Oh I’m sorry. Who was it that was moaning for animal crackers that one time?” He folded his arms behind his head, grinning when Steve loomed over him.

“And who was already eating them, huh? And wouldn’t share with me?” He growled playfully, nipping at his jaw.

“Hm…” He craned his head to the side, leaving more room for Steve to suck on. “You know, if you keep this up, we are not going to be eating anytime soon.” He mumbled.

“Not that you seem to mind, baby.” He sucked on his shoulder, leaving a big purple mark behind. “You have no idea how crazy your shoulders drive me.”

The blond pulled away slightly, looking at him with no small amount of embarrassment, Steve noted. Seriously, had never anyone before told Danny just how good looking he was? It should be a crime. “Oh yeah, but your ass is still number one.”

“My ass, huh? Not surprised there. I’m rather fond of yours.” He brought his hands down and squeezed. “But your abs… Do you know how hard you made me every time you took your shirt off? Tease.”

Danny grinned when Steve blushed: he knew Steve was aware he was easy on the eyes, but he also knew he had a staggering lack of self-confidence, especially when it came to someone appreciating him for him, not for what he could do or his looks. 

He never fully understood the relationship between Catherine and Steve: he seemed to think they were friends-with-benefits and she thought they were in a proper relationship. Then she came back to go away again, only to come back and leave, breaking Steve's heart in the process and leaving him behind with a ring that would never be used. Which he never really understood either because Steve had always adamant that they were _not_ in a relationship, not like Danny had been with Melissa. And then came in Lynn, who even more of a with-benefits situation that Cath had been, but she had been jealous enough to storm out on Valentine's day. And Alicia, too, but as far as he knew, that never went anywhere. He also knew about his one night stands with men, but they had only begun a few years ago. 

The day after DADT had been repealed he had simply strolled in with a six pack, gone down to the beach and sat next to his partner, offering a beer with not a single word.

_ "They repealed DADT." Steve said when he finished his bottle, looking at him with bright eyes. _

_ "Yeah, they did." He took a swing of his bottle, pinning the brunette with his eyes. "Anything you want to tell me, babe?" _

_ "I'm... I'm..." He took a deep breath, eyes looking everywhere besides his partner. "Bi. I'm bi, Danno." He didn't need to ask to feel the relief his partner had felt, it coloured his words. _

_ "Ok. We can go to pride together. Bring Kono with us, too." _

_ Steve turned his head so fast Danny feared it would pop off. "Pride? Kono? You?" _

_ "Yeah babe. Me. I'm pan." He offered a bright smile which Steve returned."You know Chin doesn't care, right? Neither does the governor." The SEAL nodded. "Good." He rose to his feet and kissed him on the forehead. _

_ "Thanks for coming to check up on me." He said, wrapping his arms around Danny middle. _

_ "Of course, Steve. Where else would I have gone, huh? I have your back, partner. Always." _

_ "Me too. And Kono?" _

_ "She's bi, too. Do you not remember that time she came with Rosie?" _

_ Steve frowned for a second, the memory of Kono coming to one of the barbecues with a friend of her, Rosie. "Oh. I thought..." _

_ Danny let out a laugh, patting him on the cheek. "You are adorable." He sat down on the armrest. "Am I the first?" _

_ Steve cocked his head to the side, clearly confused. "The first what?" _

_ "The first person you told." _

_ "Oh. Yeah." He blushed and Danny's heart fluttered at the sight. "I think Mary suspects it." _

_ "She's your sister, of course she knows." He said, running a hand _ _ through the short dark hair. "Thank you for telling me, Steve. You are amazing." _ __

Well, if he had to tell him daily, he would tell him daily. It was easier now that he could tell him without having to hide his true feelings for the man.

“Stupid bright SEAL with tattooed arms, and rock hard abs, and sun kissed skin that somehow never gets burned. Tell me how I’m not supposed to get hard with you parading yourself like this almost once a week.” He pushed him away, standing up and giving him a very appreciative gaze.

“Like I’m the only one? Do you  _ really _ need to wear those pants, baby?” He stood up too and twirled him around, wrapping his arms around his back. “Or those shirts? It’s amazing no buttons have popped out yet. One day you'll take someone's eye out.”

“Steven, we’ve had this conversation multiple times: I like to look professional. And cargo pants are  _ not _ professional for a detective! They might work for you, but people  _ expect _ you to wear that abomination and combat boots.” He threw his hands in the air before bringing them down to his hips. “I’ve already given up my ties, don’t expect more from me.”

“But baby, you gave up on the ties almost a decade ago! You need to change something else!”

“Oh, I do, huh? What will  _ you _ change, then? Quid pro quo babe.”

Steve gave his answer without thinking. Although, Danny supposed, he probably had been thinking about it for some time. “No more close shave haircuts.”

Danny hummed, taking in the implication of that statement: the one and only reason Steve had been cutting his hair so short was because of the Navy and because his hair grew absurdly fast he’d just get close shaves to make it last longer within the Navy regulations. But the fact that he would stop doing this, meant that he no longer felt defined by his Navy career, something that Danny had been fighting for him to realise ever since he met him.

And before he could chicken out, he spoke. “Alright, I’ll wear jeans at work.”

“And T-shirts?” He wrapped an arm around his shoulders before twisting him around to look at him.

“Don’t push your luck, babe. But maybe every now and then.”

“Ok. I’ll take that.” He gathered him close, kissing the top of his head. 

* * *

Once they were by the car they shifted again, they hadn’t taken any shoes with them, and while Steve would have happily gone back in human form, Danny told him that there was no way in hell he was putting his feet through that sort of punishment and well, he didn’t want his lover to be the only one in paws.

“So, shower and store?” Steve questioned as he pulled into Danny’s street. “Do I still have clothes at yours?”

“Yeah, I washed them a couple days ago.”

Danny opened the door and Steve simply walked in as if he owned the place. He basically did, just as much as Danny owned his. 

“Wanna shower together, baby?”

Danny rolled his eyes at him before pushing him further into the corridor. “We do that and there will be no dinner ready. Go first, and I'll check what we need to buy."

"Yes sir!" He mock saluted him before disappearing into the bathroom.

* * *

"Uncle Steve!" Grace walked into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Danno?"

"Picking your brother up. We'll meet them home." He explained as he directed them to the Silverado. "How did cheer practice go, kiddo?"

"Really good! But coach is still not letting me fly." She pouted, kicking a stone out of her way.

"You know what the doctor said, Gracie." He reminded her, voice gentle. "We know you feel fine, but head injuries can take a long time to heal, even if we feel fine."

"Like Danno's lungs, right?"

_ Hopefully better _ , he thought, he still worried about Danny's lungs collapsing. “Yeah, just like Danno’s lungs.”

She nodded before looking at her phone, the screen black, before turning to look at Steve. “Mum said Danno wanted to speak with us.”

“Yeah.”

“Did… something happen?” She was staring at him with her large brown eyes, but somehow she looked excited.

“You look like you think something has happened. Wanna share with the class?”

She squirmed, a gesture he knew was a full-on Williams move when they were organising their thoughts. 

He waited. They still had a while before they reached Danny’s place.

“You and Danno…” She finally started, only to stop again. “I saw kiss at the beach.” She confessed, her face reddening. “Is that what he wants to tell us?”

“You saw us? Why didn’t you say anything? God, he is going to explode, Gracie!” He exclaimed, already hearing Danny’s offended voice, saying that it was his fault that his angel of a daughter was a mini spy. God, the had barely talked about telling the kids and Danno had wanted to wait until they were solid, how was he supposed to tell him?

“Well, you didn’t say anything either! You still haven’t!” She defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest, in a very Rachel-like move. “Are you… worried? About the team?”

“Nah. They know that we’ve talking, but that’s all they know. Besides Junior, of course.” She nodded. “We just… We wanted to be solid before we told you and Charlie. You’ve been through enough as it is, Grace, we don’t want to add onto that pile.” He explained, brushing her cheek with his thumb, holding her chin. “But, unfortunately, what he needs to tell you is not this. Something happened back in Jersey. And don’t ask what, because I’m not sure about the details myself.”

“Did someone die?” She questioned, pulling herself right up, staring at him with anxious eyes.

_ Great job there, McGarrett _ , he thought to himself.

“No, Gracie, no one’s died.” 

* * *

“Eric!” Charlie jumped into his cousin’s arms.

“Hey Mini D! How is it going?” He left him on the ground again: Uncle D was the strong one in the family. “Hi Uncle D.”

“Hey.” He mused his nephew’s hair in a way he very rarely did, like he was still a kid. The lab technician huffed, but it was all for show, a small smile on his lips. “Could you sit with him and make sure he does his homework?”

“Yeah, of course. C’mon Mini D, what do we have to do?” He questioned, Charlie immediately launching into an explanation of his science assignment.

Danny smiled upon seeing this: 7 years ago he would never have believed that the schmuck he had as a nephew could become such a reliable man. He really had grown from the troublesome kid that his mother awake at night with worry.

He was half way done with the ziti when the door opened, Steve and Gracie chatting happily.

It always warmed his heart how at ease his children and his partner were around each other.

“Danno!” She wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek. 

“Hey Monkey!” He kissed her back. “How is my favourite girl?” He questioned.

“Good! Ooh, you are making ziti? And garlic bread?” Before he could stop her, she dipped her fingers on the sauce, moaning happily at the taste.

“Monkey!” He frowned at her, but it dissipated the second she hugged him.

“Sorry Danno! It’s just really really good!” She grinned at him, kissing his again with tomato-y lips.

“You’ve corrupted her, Steven.” He simply stated as Steve threw his hands up: pf course it was his fault, although it also warmed him, because it sounded like something a spouse would say to his significant other. “Is your homework done?”

The teen rolled her eyes, but still left the room to do it going to find her brother and her cousin, leaving the two adults alone in the kitchen.

“Ok, spill it, what’s eating you now?”

“Nothing.” Steve said, clearly too quickly for Danny to believe it.

“Of course not. That’s why you have been wearing your Kicked Puppy eyes since you got here.” He turned around, arms crossed over his chest and a very sceptical eyebrow raised.

“Just promise you won’t get angry, ok?”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing!” He raised his hands in defence before sighting and tugging Danno into a hug, the blond going willingly, tucking his head under Steve's chin. “Gracie knows. About us. She saw us kiss that time at the beach.”

Instead of exploding like Steve had expected him to, Danny simply hummed in that way when he was considering something. And a thinking Danny could be a very dangerous Danny.

He cracked after a couple of minutes: all his SEAL training went out the window with the Williams clan. “What? What is it?” 

“Nah, I just understand the questions. She told me she had two friends who she thought liked each other and saw them kiss but they wouldn't tell her they were together. She said it was  _ for a friend _ .” He snickered, rolling his eyes. “Sneaky.”

“And you really thought it was for a friend? Some detective you are, Danno.” He teased, smirking at him in that way that sometimes made Danny want to kiss him and some other times made him want to punch him across the face.

Lately he had been leaning more towards the kissing.

“No, I knew it wasn’t for a friend, don’t be daft. I thought she might be asking for herself.” He explained, shrugging. “She’s at that age where maybe she starts questioning herself so it wasn’t really that strange. Eric called me once about it too, too embarrassed to go to the women in the family and he didn’t know if my dad would be willing to talk about it and everyone in my family knows I'm pan. We talked for like 3 hours.” He paused for a second before looking up, a devious gleam on his eyes. “You get to be there for Charlie’s.”

The grin that split his face in two was one of the most beautiful things Danny had ever seen.

* * *

They had gathered the kids and were sitting at the kitchen table: Danny and Steve in one side, Charlie in Danny’s lap, and Grace and Eric in front of them. Before saying anything the blond stretched his hand towards his daughter who, although visibly confused, took it.

“Danno?”

He shook his head. “I just… I never wanted to have to deliver this news to you again.” He said and she nodded, obviously steeling herself. She was such a brave a child, just like her dad, always deciding to take things head on, digging her heels. “Grandma and grandpa will be… divorcing.” He said.

Grace’s sharp intake of breath was the only thing that could be heard. “W-what? Why? I thought they had made up!” She cried, rubbing at her wet cheeks with her free hand, the other one clutching at Danny in a grip that had to be painful, Steve thought, even if Danny didn’t seem to notice. “You said they made up, Danno!”

“I know. I know I said so.” He replied. “I just… Grandpa has been cheating on Grandma, Grace. It started… It started about the same time your mum and I divorced and… I didn’t see it Gracie, you know I’d never let Grandma get hurt.”

Noticing that Danny was started to get agitated he laid a hand on his arm, squeezing softly. If there was one thing Danny was terrified of, more than cramped space, was his children hating him and angry at him.

“I’m sorry, Monkey. Come here.” He took Charlie and passed him to Steve. “Go with Uncle Steve for a moment, baby.” The boy simply nodded and hugged Steve around the neck.

Grace climbed on Danny’s lap as if she were still eight and her legs didn’t reach the floor.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, Daddy.”

“That’s alright, princess. I understand why you are upset. We are all upset.” He kissed her hair and shot Eric a smile, which the young man returned.

“What will Grandma Clara do, now?”

“Well, she’ll be living here with us, at least for sometime.”

“Really?” She smiled wetly at him.

“Yeah, she’s coming here on Sunday.” He kissed her head, hugging her close. “Look, if you want to keep in contact with your grandpa, I’m no one to tell you you can’t, you are both grown ups now, but when Grandma is here I don’t want his name spoken, unless she wants to talk about it, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course Uncle D.” Eric said, speaking for the first time. “I don’t… I don’t want to talk to him either. He should have signed the papers if he was already with someone else! He stayed with Grandma because, because… why? Just to hurt her? Because he thought she would always be with him? I don’t want to be like him!” He screamed, startling all of them.


	12. Chapter 12

**“Yeah, yeah, of course Uncle D.” Eric said, speaking for the first time. “I don’t… I don’t want to talk to him either. He should have signed the papers if he was already with someone else! He stayed with Grandma because, because… why? Just to hurt her? Because he thought she would always be with him? I don’t want to be like him!” He screamed, startling all of them.**

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about? You are not like him. You won’t be like him. I know grandpa and you were close, Eric, but that doesn’t mean you are the same! You are nothing like him, you hear me? How many times have you cheated on Tiffany, huh? None, right?” The boy nodded. “So there you go.” He tapped Gracie on the thigh and she stood up, taking his seat, Charlie moving straight to her, hating seeing his sister crying, as Danny rounded the table to hug his nephew. 

"Yeah but..."

"No buts." He interrupted. "If you really think this is genetic, which is already a dumb thing to believe, don't you share genes with grandma, too? With your mum? With Bridget? With _me_?"

"Y-yeah."

"Ok. Have any of us ever cheated on our partners?" Eric shook his head, and then started running his hand through his hair, in that same exact way Danny usually did. "Exactly. And besides, if you ever _even_ think of cheating on Tiffany, I'm ripping you a new one and then sending you back to New Jersey so your mum can have a piece of you, too. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Uncle D. Thank you." 

Steve smiled at the interaction: sometimes he thought Danny didn't know that he had three children, instead of two. Anyone with functioning eyes or ears knew that Eric loved the blond like the father he never had. 

“Uncle Steve?” He looked down to blue eyes.

“Yeah, Charlie?”

“What does cheating mean?” He frowned at the dark haired man, confused, but before Steve had time to answer, very loud ringtones interrupted them.

Before any of the three knew what was going on, Steve and Danny had both gone to their phone.

“Tani.” Danny said.

“Lou.” Steve replied.

After that it was a mangle of words and sentences between the two of them, exchanging phones twice. When they hung up they all looked at them.

“Danno?” Grace questioned, looking up at them both. 

“Sorry Monkey, we have to go." He smiled apologetically at her, but she only nodded, understanding: it wasn't the first time this happened, it certainly wouldn't be the last, and both her and her brother had grown with it and they both understood ho important Danno's job was to keep them, and Hawaii safe. "Eric, can you stay with them?” 

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” He nodded, eagerly. “We can watch movies and eat ice cream for dessert.” Both of his cousins smiled at him, quite obviously down with that plan.

“Thank you. Bake the ziti for five minutes and it should be good to go.” He explained as he headed to his room, Steve already there retrieving his cargo pants and a black t-shirt. Danny was already wearing long pants, so all he did was get rid of his tomato and paint stained shirt and put on the navy t-shirt Steve had obviously chosen for him.

He even had time to roll his eyes before they stormed off the door, making sure to kiss both little Williams and to pat Eric on the shoulder.

Guns, badges, tags, keys.

They jumped into the car and sped off to the highway, where HPD and Lou and Junior were in pursuit of an armed robber.

“Lou, talk to me.” Steve almost barked into his ear piece at the same time Danny was on the phone with Tani, who had stayed behind in the Palace to help with the schematics and running facial rec. Adam had stayed behind at the bank to supervise the clean-up.

“Wait, what did you just say?”

**“Marco Delano… why?”**

“The fucker! After all this time and…” He trailed off and turned to look at his partner. “Steve. It’s a Delano.” He growled and suddenly they were speeding, but for once, he said nothing. “Tani, is there any connection with a Frank Delano? Or a Paul?”

**“Uh, yeah… He is the son of Paul Delano and Rosario del Carmen. How did you know?”**

“Frank is the one who killed Chin’s wife. Tried to kill Kono, too. Chin killed him in cold blood.” He simply said. “Have Adam call Chin and Kono, make sure they are alright and that this is not a distraction.”

**“Yeah, of course. Right away.”**

* * *

It took no more than five minutes until they saw the HPD cars, all of them moving out of the way to let them through; it had been a rule implemented early on: if Five-0 was in pursuit with the Camaro, the Camaro was to go first. It would make no sense to have the most powerful car in the force in the back.

“Chin and Kono are ok, so it probably has nothing to do with us.” Danny said when his phone pinged with Adam’s message.

“Thank God.” He looked at him for a second, before taking his hand and setting it on his own thigh. “I’m sorry about having to leave the kids that way.”

“They are used to it, don’t worry. We can talk to them on the weekend, if we are done with this.” He explained, squeezing the hard muscle. “Besides, it’s always on our free days, isn’t it?” He grinned at him.

“Yeah, just our luck. Looks like he is heading to the forest.”

Danny groaned: it really was their luck to have their evening interrupted and having to spend the night going through the damn forest.

Steve looked at him, an idea forming in his head, but he needed to know that Danny really was okay with it. The cars would become useless in there, there were no proper roads the way they were heading, and it would be both much safer and faster if they switched, but there were a lot of uniforms, he didn’t know who was there, who had signed the contract and who didn’t.

And Danny had become used to switched around them if it was only Five-0 business, or a dinner night at one of their places, but he still didn’t wear his tags out, still afraid and conscious of someone taking everything from him just for what he was.

“What? You have the ‘Danny will hate this idea’ face, so out with it.”

He groaned: almost ten years down the line with his partner and he had to agree that maybe, perhaps, he did have faces. Either that or Danny was a fucking psychic. 

“We’ll be done faster if we switch.” He said. “We don’t have to do it if you don’t feel comfortable with so many people around. Junior and I can do it and you can come with Lou on foot.” He quickly added, not wanting Danny to feel pressured into shifting.

Danny mentally sighed: he knew Steve was right, it made a lot more sense to chase in paws than it did going on foot: not only was tracking a hell of a lot easier it was safer, since regular people were not used to shooting animals, they always faltered, not knowing where to shoot to fatally injure them. Had it been a hunter, it would be a very different thing, but the kid grew up in New York city, not much hunting going on there. Especially not for a kid like him. 

And no one had said anything about his form, no comments behind his back, no one had tried to rile him up… Maybe he could finally let go. He still didn’t feel comfortable having his tags out: it was one thing in HPD, it was a very different thing with the parents at school or his neighbours. But he _knew_ that shifting outside in the regular would be a lot easier if he got used to HPD knowing.

“Ok. We’ll shift.” He said, slowly. Letting the words roll of his tongue, like stones.

Steve took a sharp right before glancing at him. “Baby, you don’t have to if you are not sure. I’d never hold it against you.”

Danny smiled at him before leaning over the console to kiss his cheek, nuzzling the side of his head. “I know you would never do that. But I don’t want to be scared of what might happen anymore.”

“That’s… That’s great, Danno. You never should have felt that way to begin with.” He grinned at him before kissing his forehead.

And they shouldn’t be acting like this in the middle of a car chase, but well, they were alone, still leading and getting closer and closer to their perp so on harm there.

* * *

The Camaro _was_ an amazing car but unfortunately it was a race car, not exactly meant for the wild. They were going to lose him, Danny thought after five minutes on a dirt road.

“There’s only one road here. If we switch now and cut through we can get to the end of the road fast enough to catch up with him. Lou and HPD can keep chasing him in the cars.” Steve replied. “We won’t be able to wear the vests though, they are in Lou's car.”

“That’s alright. I can’t fight well with them.” He shrugged and it just hit Steve that it meant that Danny had to have been fitted for vests. When, or where, was another question. One that he would ask at a later date.

He nodded before calling Lou. 

**“Yeah.”**

“Hey, Danny and I will be going through the forest to get him at the end of the road. You and HPD keep going with the cars. If he jumps off, have Junior track him down. His family shift are hares, so assuming he does have a shift, we shouldn’t have much trouble.”

**“That sounds like a solid plan, except for the part where you want to chase a guy in a car on foot! You are not 25 anymore, McGarrett. Neither of you.”**

“Thanks for the reminder Lou. But we’ll go on paws, much faster, much easier.” He shot back.

There was silence on the other side for two seconds too long for Steve likening, and he was already to ask what was wrong when Lou finally answered.

**“Danny is going to shift? We didn’t… They haven’t signed anything.”** And if Steve didn’t already love the man, the obvious concern for his partner would have done it.

“We know. It’s ok.” It came out a bit sharper than he intended but he'll apologise later. “Be careful. And Junior, Danny says no unnecessary risks.” His partner rolled his eyes at him, but he didn't say anything, quite obviously content on letting him get away with it. For now, anyways. It was great teasing material.

**“You, too.”**

“Lou will keep going on the car, so we are good to go.”

Danny nodded and started to remove his clothes, shirt first, shoes and socks. All of it without undoing his belt.

“You seem highly proficient on getting naked in a car, Danno.”

Danny smirked at him before pulling his pants down. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.” He simply said, not offering further information, knowing exactly how crazy Steve went over not being told everything.

He unfastened his belt, dropped his underwear and shifted. He pawed at the glove box and looked at Steve.

“Your collar, I know. You have tags in it?” Danny barked once. "Okay."

As soon as he saw the clearing he had been waiting for he parked the car, collared Danny, slipping his badge onto the collar and shifted, too.

He took the lead, Danny right after him. They heard the cars go full speed, but ignored them and kept going through the green.

The landscape wasn’t all that different from that morning, but man was the mood different, Steve thought as they ran uphill, Danno’s heavy form snapping branches as they went, and thank god they weren't on a stealth mission, or else they would have been found in minutes.

They heard a car stop a few yards from their position and they sped up, trying to get to him before he had time to shift and disappear.

When they finally got there, they saw that the kid had started trekking to a higher place, where HPD and Five-0 would have a harder time getting to him. Steve rounded behind the bushes and guided Danno to a small path out of Delano’s view. He had done that trail quite a few times so he knew all the ins and outs of it.

The cars were nearing their position. And fast.

Steve looked behind him, watching how Danny watched his step to not snap anymore branches, or anything that would alert him of their presence and he couldn't help smiling at his partner: he had gotten so much better at chases in nature since they met, sure it hadn't been in shift forms, but the basics were about the same. They were almost in position when the cars finally came to a stop.

“Five-0! Drop you weapon!”

They both winced at the loud firing, piercing their much sharper hearing. 

His breathing was fast and heavy, he was sweating buckets and the two dogs could smell blood and fear on him.

The kid ducked behind a rock to dodge the rain of bullets coming his way, turning around. It was then that he spotted them, eyes almost doubling in size, scrambling against the rock, as if he were trying to fuse with it.

He raised the gun with a very unsteady hand (that explained how the hell he didn't hit a single officer from a vantage point) against Steve's general direction, but it was facing down, so it wasn't an immediate threat.

The pointer snarled at him, taking a menacing step, but he clearly wasn't seeing him, he eyes trained on Danny instead. Danny, whose demeanour had switched to dangerous so quickly that it even took Steve by surprise. He had curled his lip in, showing off his powerful canines, his stance yelling that he was ready to pounce the second Delano pointed that gun the wrong way or did a sudden movement against them. He stepped closer, barking at the guy, his badge clear for him to see.

“Y-you can’t do that! I’m prey!” He cried, raising the gun, now fully pointing at Steve, which only caused Danny to take step closer.

* * *

"I guess that answers the question of McGarrett and Detective Williams being there, cap." Junior mumbled and the older man simply rolled his eyes before signalling him to start going up the hill.

"Listen here Delano,” He yelled. “The second you decided to rob a bank you gave up that excuse! So you either give up now or Detective Williams will make sure you don’t get to use that hand anymore for a really long time. Or if at all.” He waited for two seconds, but he received no answer. “That’s probably the dog that’s barking at you, y’know, the big, mean looking one.”

“Call him off! Get away!” He cried again, but he was still pointing his gun at Steve, and he was dreaming if he thought Danny was going anywhere while he had the gun in his hand.

Danny growled again, muscles bulging and stepping even closer, so close than he could touch the kid if he wanted, and Delano lowered his gun, slightly, clearly terrified of the mixed shifter.

He was so concentrated on not letting Danny out of his sight, that he didn't see how Steve Steve noted, that he didn't seem to hear the one coming up the hill. The GSP perked up when he sniffed the air and smelled Junior. He moved closer to Danny to nudge him on the side to let him know, but as soon as he moved the kid pointed the gun at him again, now with both hands. Danny growled again, taking another step.

And the gun went off.

In less than a second, Danny teeth sunk into Delano’s arm, gun clattering down on the rocky earth and red, thick blood spilling down his arm, around Danny’s teeth and his fur. 

“Danny, sir, I’ve got it.” Junior said, his hand hovering over Danny’s head, clearly unsure if his touch would earn him a bite or not. “Sir, Steve is fine.” He mumbled, and the mention of his partner seemed to do the trick of at least getting attention, but he still didn't let go, ignoring the mixed smell of blood, sweat and piss. "Sir. I've got it." The young SEAL repeated.

Reluctantly he pulled away, letting Junior handle the kid before going to Steve, who was still laying on the ground, but there was no blood on the floor or on his fur. He nuzzled his ribs and Steve answered by licking his muzzle, the taste of blood not bothering him in that form as it would have if they had been in their human forms. It was amazing how much their tastes changed.

Steve pushed into a sitting position, and Danny mirrored it, letting Steve rub his head against his neck, calming his partner by reassuring him that he was perfectly fine.

“You are under arrest.” Junior said before hauling the kid up by his shirt, almost dragging him back down the hill.

* * *

Steve pushed closer to Danny, comforting his partner after that and, why lie, to comfort himself. For a second, he had a flashback, of Danny almost flat-lining on top a table with his finger inside him, but before he could even react Danny had already jumped into action.

After a few minutes Steve pulled away and let Danny check him over, cold nose pressing on his neck and ribs.

“Steve, Danny! Are you coming with us?” Lou called out for them and they snapped out of their little bubble, seeing how Junior had already taken the Delano kid down the hill, only a wet puddle of piss and blood remaining there. With one last nuzzle they headed down to were Delano was being driven away by HPD, Junior and Lou waiting for them.

The older man frowned at their bloody appearances and grumbled something about having to take care of grown men as if they were pups and gave them a generous rub with a towel that he soaked with water from his drinking bottle, throwing it into a plastic bag with a clear look of disgust. Once he deemed them clean enough for his beloved car, he opened the back door for them and they both jumped inside, curling together in their usual position out of instinct and comfort.

“So, do you want to drive the Camaro yourselves or let Junior here bring it at yours?” They stared at each other before Steve barked once. “Alright then, we’ll drop you off by the car.”

* * *

When they finally arrived home, a good two hours later, the kids were already sleeping and Eric had taken the sofa. Danny smiled softly and went to cover him fully with the blanket, running his hand through his dark hair. He wasn’t his son, but hell would freeze over before he didn’t love him as one, Steve's words from a few days back in his mind.

Steve, on the other hand, was rooted to the spot, watching his lover: he had planned on staying and taking the sofa, which was, quite obviously, not an option anymore. He still had the keys in his hand, and neither of them had been injured so there really wasn’t a reason for him to stay.

“Hey Danny, I’ll take the Camaro, pick you up tomorrow to drop the kids at school.” He announced as he started to turn around.

“Ok… Wait what? You are leaving?” He frowned, following the other man outside. “What happened? Why are you leaving?” Did he do something? Or said something? “I thought you were going to stay for dinner.” He said, but stopped at the porch, unsure of what to do, if to chase Steve or stay where he was.

Had he been too clingy this morning? Was it because he had kissed him in the car when they had agreed no kissing at work? But Steve had kissed him too, so that couldn't be it, right? Was it because he had attacked Delano without Steve giving him permission to do so? Had Steve realised just exactly how dangerous Danny really was? That a single bite from him could break bones? That he was too dangerous to be around?

Fuck.

What was he going to tell the kids? He had known from the very beginning that it hadn't been a good idea to trust that everything would be fine, that Steve would be fine with him being the mix he was: it was one thing to play around or to see him through a camera, and a very different one to see exactly what Danny was, how much damage he could do.

* * *

Steve stopped dead on his tracks, looking at the blond. He was wrenching his hands, obviously distressed about something and his breathing was fast and shallow, like he wasn’t getting any air. He had seen this before. Under a tons and tons of rubble and piece of rebar piercing him. But Danny had been unharmed, he knew that, so what was wrong with him? He scanned him, stopping the second he saw his eyes: filled with fear and pain and sadness, so much sadness.

Fuck.

_Fuck._

What the hell had he been thinking? Of course Danny would assume something was wrong, that _he_ had done something wrong. With three long strides he walked up to him, wrapping him into a hug.

“Danno, breathe.” He said, taking his hand and plastering it against his own chest so Danny could feel the rhythm. “Breathe, baby.”

After Danny had calmed down, Steve wrapped his arms around his waist, holding him close again, shushing him gently, swaying a bit.

“What happened, baby? What’s going through that pretty head, hm?” He kissed his forehead.

“You are leaving.” He mumbled, hands grabbing the fabric of his shirt, tightly. “You don’t wanna stay with me. Be with me anymore.”

“What? No, Danny. That’s not it! How could say that?” He pulled away to look at him. “I just… The kids are here. And Eric has the sofa.”

“So?” Danny looked up, scowling. What the hell did the kids and the sofa being occupied have to do with anything now? Steve didn't sound or look like he was deflecting on purpose, so he had no idea what was going.

Steve frowned. “So? What do you mean _so_? Where am I supposed to sleep? On the floor?”

Danny rolled his eyes at him before gently knocking him on the temple. “Or in my bed, you idiot!” Jesus, all this worrying and all because Steve thought he didn’t have a place in his house to sleep. Thank god he was pretty, because his brain left a lot to be desired at certain times. And if he was one of the best in Naval Intelligence, no question why their country was going to shit. “Let’s get inside, I’m starving.”

He grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside, taking the keys from his other hand and leaving them in the bowl. “Go wash your hands while I plate up, c’mon.”

“No wait, Danno. The kids…” He followed him into the kitchen. He could wash his hands there anyways.

Danny sighed, turning around, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the counter, legs crossed at the ankles and he shouldn’t be looking this hot. “The kids love you, Steven. You said Grace knows, and I can promise you Charlie will just be thrilled that he gets to see you more. Besides, how are we supposed to keep it a secret from them when Ma gets here? Have you met her?”

“What about Eric?” He questioned, eyes darting to the living room.

The blond sighed, seeing that they were getting no where. And Steve had been willing to talk him down form the high he had gotten himself on, so it was his turn to bring his partner up. “Come here.” He said, jumping on the counter and opening his arms and legs for Steve to go.

Steve went to him, and almost shyly stepped into the V of his legs, hiding his face on Danny’s neck, arms wrapped around his back. 

“What’s going on babe, huh? We don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to, but I’d like it if you talked to me instead of deciding everything for yourself. I can take it at work, but I’m not going to let you do it with this, ok? No. You have a problem, you tell me about it, we work on it.” His voice was still low and soothing, but hard at the same time, making very clear where the line was drawn.

He nodded, his grip tightening around his lover. “It’s not that, Danno. Of course I want them to know. I want _everyone_ to know that you chose me. But I don’t want you to have problems with the kids. I’d hate that.”

Danny sighed, kissing his temple. “I told you Eric knows I’m pan, and so long as I’m happy and healthy, he could care less about who I’m with. Grace, too.” He told him. “And as I said, they love you. When Gracie was little, not long after I got the house, she asked me if I was going to marry you.”

He snorted at that. “What?”

“Hm, yeah. She could smell you on me, or in the house every time she came, so she thought we had been living together or something.” He confessed, running his hand up and down the muscular back. “Man, she was _heartbroken_. It took me all night to console her.”

“But… you were with Melissa…”

“Melissa didn’t care about Grace, Grace didn’t care about Melissa. And I didn’t want Grace getting attached to her like it happened with Gabby, so it was alright with me. I already had my co-parent anyways.”

It was impossible to miss the meaning of those words. Steve trembled as he slipped his hands inside Danny’s shirt. “Me?”

“Of course you! I told you right? You've been pack since the very beginning. You’ve been my emergency contact since we started working together. You’ve been Grace’s emergency contact on my side since year one, Steven. And then Charlie’s, too. Whenever I’ve had to leave the kids with someone when I’ve had to go to court or back to Jersey, they’ve always stayed with you if Rachel and Stan had plans.” He wrapped a hand around his neck and tugged him upwards to look at him in the eyes. “Who went to get Grace when I got hit with the sarin and brought her to the hospital? Who promised her to get me out Colombia? Who, not even three months ago, put everything to a stop until you… until you found her the asshole who put her in a hospital bed and almost took her from us? Who has been helping her with her science homework all this time? Who has picked her up from cheer practice when I couldn’t?”

Steve swallowed before hiding his face again on Danny's neck. “Me.”

“Right. And who asked to take Charlie out for breakfast when he was out of the hospital to know him better? Who helped him get through his fear of the ocean? Who taught him how to swim? Who put his bed together and then said I did, huh? Who tried to make him look like the Mastermind behind Gracie’s welcome home party, eh?”

“M-me.”

“Yeah, you.” He kissed his shoulder. “And who said that he loved them as if they were his own children, huh? I’ll give you a hint babe, it sure as hell wasn’t Melissa.”

“I did. I said that.”

“So what made you think they didn’t love you just the same, huh?” He pulled him away again, smiling at the sight of bright, wet hazel eyes. He kissed him, no tongue, just a sincere and gentle kiss to convey all the love he had for that man. It was not the place or the time to let lust get the better of them.

“I love you, Danno. I’m sorry.”

“Hm, I love you too. Just don’t scare me like that ever again, alright?” 

“I promise.” He kissed him again before pulling away, his hands still buried under Danno’s shirt. “Dinner?”

“Yes, please.” He kissed him on the neck before he slipped down the counter to the floor, landing with a soft thud. 

* * *

“Good morning Danno.” Grace greeted when she went into the kitchen, eyes bleary with sleep and her hair a complete mess. 

“Good morning monkey.” He lifted his arm to hug her, and she quickly settled under his arm.

“You are making pancakes? On a Friday?” She inquired, looking at the bowl of batter in front of them.

“I woke up early and with your cousin in the living room, I couldn’t watch TV. So I made pancakes. What are _you_ doing up, huh?”

“My alarm went off. I forgot we were here and didn’t change it.” She explained, moving to get the chocolate chips. 

“Alright. Chocolate chip pancakes then. You gonna help me?” The teen nodded as she started to add the chocolate into the mix. In silence. 

Danny ignored it for a while, but when the glances started being more and more obvious he chuckled, taking the spatula out of her hand. “C’mon Monkey, spit it out, what is it?”

“You and Uncle Steve…” She looked at him shyly. “I know you are together, Danno. I just… I’m really happy. For you. And for Uncle Steve.” She hugged him again. “You’re always really happy when he’s around. He told me why you didn’t tell us. And I’m happy he spent the night here. He should stay over more often.” She mumbled and he nodded: he would like it, too. “I love you Danno.”

“I love you too Monkey.” He kissed her head. “I’m sorry about not telling you, but the thought of us hurting you if something happened… I couldn’t bear that again. It was bad enough I had to tell you about Grandma.”

She nodded and he could feel her cheeks heating up. “I’m sorry I yelled at you yesterday.” She mumbled.

“Aw Monkey, you don’t have to apologise. I understand why you were upset, don’t worry about that. The fact that you apologised is more than enough for me.” He tipped her head back. “Your brother?”

She shrugged before pulling away. “I don’t think he understood.”

“I didn’t expect he would. His family views are different than everyone else’s and he’s still very little. For him going from one place to the other is the normal thing. Now, can you go wake Eric? He’s going to be late otherwise.”

“Sure!” She left the kitchen. “Eric! Danno says you better wake up now or you’ll be late. Eric!”

“Geez cuz, don’t yell, I’m up, I’m up.” Eric groaned. “Good morning Uncle D!”

“Good morning, you putz. Go shower if you want any pancakes.”

“You made pancakes? Awesome!” He yelled as he headed for the guests bathroom.

Another set of steps were could be heard on the hallway and Steve came into the kitchen, clad in sweatpants and one of Danny’s old NPD T-shirts: it was a bit looser on the chest area than it was on Danny, but it was shorter on him too, which meant Danny could see and touch some skin without having it to raise it. He looked damn fine, if you asked the cop.

“Hey baby, what’s with all the noise? At 6am?” He questioned going up to his partner and kissing him on the mouth, Danny going to stand on his tiptoes to press back. Steve heard a shuffle next to Danny and realised there was someone else in the kitchen. God did the Williams make him stupid. It was like he forgot half of his training when he was with them: all of his defences dropped to near-zero. “Uh, morning Gracie.”

Danny chuckled as he turned around to flip the pancake.

“Morning Uncle Steve.” She grinned at him before kissing him on the cheek and hugging him. “I’m happy for you two. You don’t have to hide, kay?”

“Kay.” He croaked before kissing her head that same way Danny and Mary did. The same way John did with him. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Uncle Steve.” 

Danny was watching them, how Steve was hugging their —yes, _their_ — daughter, close to his chest and kissing her head again. The exact way a father would his child. The same way he had been doing for the past 8 or so years. Danny swallowed at that thought, the memory of them coming out of that collapsed building, the way Steve had almost ignored Melissa when he introduced them to each other in favour of hugging and kissing Grace the same way he was doing now, how fidgety and bouncy Grace had been the second Steve had joined them but knowing she had to wait because the adults were talking and how she almost jumped into his arms the second they finished, her little arms around Steve's waist, her hands grabbing his shirt to keep him there with them. 

And that idiot thought his kids didn’t love him as much as he loved them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, chapters might get a bit shorter for a while. I've sort of stopped working on this one in favour of my Fix-It story, but I promise I have not abandoned this one.

**And that idiot thought his kids didn’t love him.**

He turned around to put another pancake on the go and he heard Grace shuffling out of the hug. “I’ll go set the table.”

“Eric can do that.” Danny interrupted. “Go wake up your brother and both of you get ready before breakfast, we don’t want a repeat of last time. This should be all done in about 10 minutes.”

“Okay Danno.”

As soon as she was gone, Steve was wrapping his octopus arms around him, from the back. He didn’t say anything, but then again, Danny didn’t need words to understand his partner.

“I told you so. She loves you.” He felt him nod against his shoulder. “Feeling sensitive?” Another nod, so he turned around, hugging him close. And his heart soared at the fact that Steve could be so open about this now, that he let him know that he was feeling overwhelmed by the whole emotions thing, Lord knew that man had never dealt with his emotions if he could avoid it. “Aw babe.” He kissed his neck before resting his head on his chest. “She didn’t even ask if you had stayed the night, or where you slept. She just assumed you had spent the night here, in my bed.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, babe. She said she wants you here more often, too. Not just for dinner.” He told him, scratching his nape, smirking when Steve groaned in pleasure, tilting his head to give him more space. "They want you here as much as I do, Steve, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Day in and day out."

“I love her so much, Danno. Charlie, too.”

“I know. They know. They love you, too.” He told him again. “Go check on Charlie, please?"

* * *

They had just left Charlie in his school when Danny's phone went off.

“Hey Duke, what is it? East Coast? Sure. I’ll be there in ten minutes or so, we just got here.” He said before hanging up. “Think you can get through the day without me?”

“Uh, sure. What’s up?” He questioned as he stepped out of the car.

“HPD caught a guy related to Salvo.” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. First a Delano, now a Salvo. What was the next one? Kaleo? Peterson? 

“Salvo? The football match guy? Chin killed him.” He pointed out.

Danny looked at him, clearly not impressed. "Yes Steve, I remember, I was there, too. Anyway, his cousin, Vito, inherited the family, then Frank’s son, Francesco, shot him to take over three years ago. Really close and caring family.” He explained as he climbed the stairs, turning around when Steve didn’t follow. “Babe?”

“How…?” He cocked his head in that very adorable way he did when he was both surprised and confused by something. “How do you know that?”

Danny put his hands in his pockets, arching an eyebrow. “ What do you mean how do I know that? Steve, I follow up with all the crime families back in Jersey: Italian, Russian... I always have, ever since I moved here.”

That was new. It was the first time he even heard of it. “Why?”

“Because I’m the only one who knows anything about East Coast organised crime families? Lou might know about the Chicago ones, but he didn’t work in, or with, the organised crime fighting unit. You never have. Kono, Tani and Junior even less. And well, Adam area of expertise is yakuza, which are quite similar, but there’s still a lot of differences. Like killing your boss at the first chance you get.”

Well, he certainly had a point there: he had never really bothered on learning much about it, because why would he when he had someone right there who knew all of them well enough that a surname as common as “Salvo” (as he later on learned) told him who exactly they were talking about.

“Okay. But what does HPD want you for?”

“That bastard is only talking in Italian and, apparently I’m the only cop in this pineapple infested island who speaks Italian. And start walking, I need to get there.”

“ You speak _Italian_.” He deadpanned, staring at his back.

How on earth did he not know that? It wasn’t in his file, that was for sure. _He would remember._

“Yeah.” He held the door open for him, both of them flashing their badges to the security guards. Why they still did it was something the guards would never understand, as if there was someone in HPD who didn't know them. “Nonna Gianna was born and raised in Italy and she never really learnt English, and Nonno Luca’s wasn’t that good either, actually, so Ma taught us Italian so we could talk to them.”

“Huh. What’s with you and not telling me you can speak in other languages?” He groused, scowling at him as they got inside the office. "Because I know you can speak more than two sentences in Russian." He groused. He had seen a couple of books written in Russian in Danny's bookshelves.

“Oh, not only you McGarrett.” Lou interjected, having heard them. “He decided to tell me he could speak Spanish  _ after _ bribing the morgue guy and when we were back.”

“Oh now you speak Spanish, too?”

Danny glared at Lou, who simply smirked at him. “Yes, Steven I do. They both come from Latin, they are quite similar.” He replied as he went to his office and grabbed a folder and then headed back out. “I’ll see you tonight, I guess. Call if me if you really need me.”

“Alright. Want me to pick the kids up if we don’t catch a case or finish early?”

“That’d be great. Something tells me that I’m going to be stuck there all day. Thanks babe.” He smiled at him, squeezing his arm as he walked past him. “Love you.”

“Love you too!” He called back, seriously fighting the need to kiss him.

* * *

When Danny finally made it home, well passed 3am, he was so exhausted he skipped dinner, drinking a cold glass of water instead.

After 3 hours of translating the interrogation he had been fed up with it and took charge of the whole thing, quite literally dragging the perp to the rendition room in Five-0 and left him there. The poor Detective they had assigned to the case was just a kid, in his first month as a Detective. Why the fuck they had put him in a high profile case that was well over his abilities was beyond his understanding. 

And why the hell Captain Taka hadn’t reported to Five-0 about it was also a very good question, especially when he knew that the task force had been involved with the Salvo family before.

As it turned out, they had wanted to try their luck at the gambling scene in the islands again, except this time they had decided to forgo any alliances and Rico had been a scout who, unfortunately, got pulled in for a DUI.

Once they had that information and Kamekona helped them find where they might be hiding it had been easy enough to round everyone up, but it had taken long preparation as they had to hit three different locations at the same time: he had taken the one further away, all the way to the North shore with a SWAT team and three officers to drive whoever was there back to HPD. He had left Duke in charge of the one in Sand Island with another SWAT Team and he had let the kid, with SWAT Captain Stanford take the one closest to them with very clear orders to text him as soon as they were done, or if there were any complications. No one had been seriously hurt, which was always a win. He knew he’d have a very nice, very big bruise on his thigh from when he and been tackled into a wall, but otherwise he was unscathed.

He opened the door to the master bedroom, stopping at the sight of Steve sprawled in the bed, one hand shoved under the pillow, the other hanging from the side of the bed, no doubt touching the floor, wearing only underwear and the bed sheet wrapped around his legs. He was such a busy sleeper when he was alone. 

As silently as he could he took his clothes off and climbed into the bed also wearing only his boxers. He couldn't help the sigh that left him when he finally got to lie down, he had been so high on adrenaline that he hadn't realised how exhausted he was.

“Guh? Danny?” Steve rose a bit and looked at him, or rather, looked in his direction, because it didn’t seem like he could open his eyes all the way. Danny smiled at the softness his lover had around him now, most of the sharp edges and military coldness resting by the door like a jacket until next morning.

“Yeah, babe.” He scooted closer, craning his neck to kiss him on the cheek. “Go back to sleep.”

“Wha' time’s it?” He slurred as he rolled onto his side, tugging Danny close.

“Almost 4am.” He replied, turning around to be the little spoon, sighing when Steve wrapped an arm around his waist and basically glued himself to his back. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Steve pressed a last kiss on the base of his neck and went back to sleep.

* * *

Steve woke up to the sounds of a TV and running water. So the kids were up, because Danny was still dead asleep next to him. They had moved during the night, and Danny was now on his back, one hand hanging loosely from the mattress and the other one on his chest.

He smiled at the man next to him, running one hand over the mess his blond hair had become. It was just almost 7am, meaning Danny had just been in bed for only about 3 hours. He pressed a kiss on his forehead and left the bed, covering his partner with the sheets.

“Good morning.” He greeted, ruffling Charlie’s blond hair. God, it was as messy and soft as his father’s.

“Good morning Uncle Steve!” The child squealed, launching himself into his arms.

“Hey, hey, don’t yell.” He told him as he set him on his hip, small legs wrapping around his middle. “Danno got home really really late and is still sleeping.”

“Oh. Ok.” He nodded and then looked back at the TV. “Do you wanna watch cartoons with me, Uncle Steve?”

“Of course buddy." Well, that explained why he was up so early. "Let me go say hi to your sister and I’ll be right back. Have you had breakfast yet?” He shook his head. “Okay then, Honey smacks, right?”

“Yeah!” He grinned at him before jumping to the floor, scrambling to sit on the sofa.

He chuckled and then headed to the kitchen, where Grace was doing the dishes. “Good morning Gracie.” He said, kissing her head.

“Oh, morning Uncle Steve. Is Danno still sleeping? Should we wake him up?” Definitely her father’s daughter with a mouth that ran miles per hour.

“He got here at almost 4, we’ll let him sleep. Did you have plans for today?”

“We were going to empty the office for Grandma and then go to get bed sheets and blankets and stuff for her. We made a list.” She explained and that explained why Grace, who liked to stay in bed until someone dragged her out, was up and running.

“Well, how about the three of us go buy everything he said and when he wakes up we work on the office?”

Her eyes light up and she hugged him tightly. “Really?”

“Yeah, of course Gracie. Go shower while Charlie and I have breakfast, c’mon.”

“Thanks Uncle Steve!” She kissed him on the cheek before darting to the bathroom.

* * *

Forty minutes later found them in front of the mall, Grace carrying the list and Steve holding Charlie’s hand tightly. He let Gracie lead them around the mall, definitely the most proficient one out of the three: she didn’t even need to look at the map to know where they needed to go.

“Do you think Grandma will like the pink or the white one, Charlie?” Grace asked him, kneeling next to him.

Steve didn’t listen to the answer, too enthralled at watching them interact: it was a known fact that Charlie admired his big sister and wanted to do everything she did, but Gracie… She went to far and beyond to make sure Charlie was included in their conversations and listening to his opinion, playing with him when he asked and dotting on him. He knew most teenagers were not so understanding with their much younger siblings.

And  _ that  _ he knew was a trait coming from Danny: to begin with, Rachel was an only child and she had proven time and time again that she only cared about her feelings and opinions. And more importantly, he had seen first hand how much his partner loved and cared for his siblings: helping Stella with his nephew, straightening him up when she had given up, helping her when they were teens and she had Eric. 

Everything he had done for Matty, from lying to the FBI to flying to Colombia and killing Reyes. He would never get the childhood stories involving the two of them, he would never ask them to revisit much happier times only to be hit with reality later. 

And how worried he had been about Bridget cheating on Ted with her coworker. It hadn’t worked between them, but Bridget was happy with Jeannie, according to Danny a lot more than she ever seemed with Ted and, in her own words, she now had someone she could lean on, that would be there for her and the kids.

He wondered, sometimes, had nothing happened when they were kids, if he would have been as good as Danny with Mary. He didn’t think so, but he would never know. They had made a lot of progress in the last decade, they talked once a week, Joannie knew him as Uncle Steve and loved to tell him what she had done during the week. Always asked when they would see him.

He wanted… He really wanted Mary to come back home, to spend afternoons with her and Danny and the kids. To see his niece grow up and not through a screen.

“Uncle Steve, look!” Charlie tugged on his hand to get his attention, small finger pointing at an apron on the other side of the store. “Danno said he needed one!”

“Oh, that’s true, his is super old.” Grace replied, nodding. “Can we get him one?”

“Of course.” He would get two, so he had one in his place too.

“Great! You and Charlie can get on that and I’ll go look for the towels for Grandma.” She patted him on the arm and for a second, all he could see was a mini version of Rachel. “Get a really funny one, Uncle Steve!”

And off she went.

He picked up Charlie so he could see them better. “So, do you like any, Charlie?”

The kid frowned, looking at the large collection of aprons in front of him. “They are all black.” He pouted.

Steve chuckled and set him on the floor. “They really are. How about we do this Charlie, I get the ones for Danno and you can go pick two for Clara.”

“Yeah!” He said, nodding enthusiastically before skipping to were the more colourful aprons were.

He glanced at the ones in front of him, they were the classic ones with funny one liners. He smirked when he saw one that was made for Danno and after a while, he found another one he liked.

“Charlie? Is that you?” He turned around when he heard a soft female voice talking to the youngest Williams. She was in her mid fifties and looked soft and caring, but if the job had taught him anything was to never trust first impressions.

“Hi!” He grinned back at the woman, and he didn’t seem afraid, but Charlie was a really open kid, so he started to head their way. Never mind Danny,  _ he _ would never forgive himself if something happened to Charlie. 

“Hey, where’s your dad, Charlie? You said you were with him this weekend, right?”

“Yeah. But he’s still sleeping because he had to work really really late.” He explained as he turned around to stare at the three aprons he had selected and left on a nearby chair.

“I see… Who did you come with, then?”

“Hey buddy, you found anything?” He interrupted, setting a hand on his head and then looking at the woman. “I’m sorry, you know Charlie?”

“Who are you? And how do you know him?” She was staring at him with half closed eyes, obviously suspicious of him.

“I'm his dad’s partner.”

“Oh, Detective Williams’ partner, right. Commander McGarrett. Uncle Steve, I presume?” She extended her hand. “I’m Charlie’s homeroom teacher.”

“Nice to meet you, uh…” He said, taking his hand.

“Lani. Lani Kahale.” He looked down at the blond boy. “I was just scared he had gotten lost.” She ruffled his blond strands, laughing when he glared at her in a perfect mix of Edwards (or was it Hollander, now?) and Williams. “It was nice finally meeting you. Charlie talks a lot about you. He insisted you had to be on his family tree.” She smiled at him again. “I’ll leave you to it, it seems he has a very important decision to make. Nice meeting you, Commander.”

“Likewise.”

He felt warmth spread all over him: he knew he was important to the kids, but never that much. It was one thing to be in drawings and a very different one to be in a family tree.

Steve crouched down next to Charlie, tickling his side. “So, what are we feeling?”

The kid looked at him before handing him one with lemons and another with white with baby blue stripes. “I like these ones.”

“Alright then. Let’s go find your sister.” Almost by instinct Charlie took his hand, small fingers curling around his index.

They found her on the next corner, now looking at what seemed new bed sheets for herself.

“Hey sweetheart.” He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Which ones do you want to get?”

She turned to look at him, eyes wide open. “Oh. No, Uncle Steve! It’s fine, I was just watching.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Grace, c’mon, which ones do you like.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine Uncle Steve. You don’t have to.”

“What? I can’t spoil my girl?” He grinned at her. “Take the ones you like, Gracie. A present from me.”

She was staring at him, eyes sad and her mouth turned downwards. What did he do wrong? “I already like you. You don’t have to buy me things to make me like you.”

Wait, what? 

“I… I have no idea what you are talking about, sweetheart.” He tugged her close, hugging her. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“I… Stan used to buy me things to make me like him. And I don’t… I don’t want you to feel like you have to get us things now that you are with Danno.” She explained against his shirt.

Steve blinked, surprised at that before he pulled away to look at her big brown eyes, so anxious about his answer. “Oh Gracie, that’s not what this is. Not at all. I would have gotten them for you regardless of my relationship with your dad. I love you for you, ok? Always will.”

“Love you too, Uncle Steve.” She smiled at him before kissing him on the cheek. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled.

Steve ran his free hand through her dark locks. “If there’s one thing I learnt from Danno is to never apologise for your feelings, so don’t apologise.” She nodded. “Alright. Take the bed sheets.”

Once they had paid for everything, they headed home, stopping at Liliha’s to get Danno breakfast, the three of them agreeing that their favourite blond deserved it. And if they got something for themselves to snack on, well, Danny didn't need to find out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Once they had paid for everything, they headed home, stopping at Liliha’s to get Danno breakfast, the three of them agreeing that their favourite blond deserved it. And if they got something for themselves to snack on, well, Danny didn't need to find out.**

When they got home Danny was still out for the count, but then again, they had barely been out for more than an hour.

“I’m going to do my homework.” Grace announced when they finished getting the bags inside.

“Can I watch some more cartoons?”

“Do you have homework?” Charlie looked away before shaking his head. “I know you’re lying buddy. What do you have to do?”

“Finish the reading book.” He mumbled.

“Okay, then you do that and when you are done, you can go watch cartoons again.” He said, pushing him towards the hallway.

"Ok Uncle Steve." He said, but he still looked up with a pout.

Steve laughed, shaking his head. "Go."

“C’mon Charlie, you can read in my room and keep me company, yeah?” Grace said, extending her hand for him to take. “Uncle Steve needs to go check on Danno.” She shot him a smirk before disappearing into her room.

* * *

When Danny woke up it was to a hand running up and down his arm, a strong thigh against his head and long leg against his back and the sound of pages turning.

“G’mornin’. What time is it?” He mumbled, stretching and flipping to his stomach to look at Steve.

“Hey, good morning. It's around 12.” He replied before leaving the book aside to lie down next to his partner, bringing him closer, until he had him resting on his side, head on his chest chest, one hand up to scratch him behind his ear. “Slept well, baby?”

Danny nodded before closing his eyes again, pushing his nose against Steve’s neck. “I think I was so tired the floor would have been good.”

“Good thing you made it to the bed, then. What the hell happened yesterday? I thought you were going as a translator!”

“What happened is that they put a kid on the case. He got his promotion to Detective three weeks ago, Steve. He should still have a TO with him. Couple that with the fact he has never left the islands and has no idea how the mafia operates, there was no way he would solve it on his own. I guess that’s the reason Duke called me instead of assigning a Senior Detective from HPD.”

“Why would them assign him, then?”

“Hell if I know. I ended up taking over and brought the guy in rendition. I don’t think he liked the change in scenery much, because he started talking in less than an hour after having me translate bullshit for three hours. Went to Kamekona to see if he had heard something and then raided his locations.”

“Locations? As in more than one?”

“Yeah…” He yawned, cuddling even closer. “I left Duke in charge of one in Sand Island, the kid and Stanford in Waimanalo and I went to Pupukea. I mean, who the fuck has a safe house in Pupukea?”

“Italian mafia, apparently.” He teased, running a hand from his shoulder downwards, rubbing softly in a massaging manner, applying more pressure when he felt a knot, Danny moaning low on his throat and god, if the children weren't there he would have him naked already probably two fingers deep into him.

He groaned softly when his cock stirred in his pants. God, Danny drove him wild.

"Shit." Danny suddenly flinched, pulling away from his hand.

Steve frowned at that and tugged the sheets away, but he saw nothing, so he made Danny roll onto his stomach again his eyes doubling in size when he saw the bruise on his thigh. “You are hurt!? Danny!”

“No babe, just a bruise, I promise.” He shushed him, hands flying to his face to still him. “No GSW or broken bones.”

“Let me see.” Danny sighed but raised his hips when Steve tugged at his boxers, gently pushing them down until he had him as naked as he wanted a few second ago, but all of his lust had been shot down to hell when he saw Danny's thigh. 

The ex-SEAL growled when he saw the large bruise that occupied all of the side of his lover’s thigh, expanding to the front, the back and up his hip, too. Danny grumbled at the busy fingers, but let him examine it to his heart's content.

“What happened?” He questioned, kissing his knee and then the bruise, and his eyes promised that if he got his hands on whoever had hurt him, they would be paid in kind and tenfold.

“Got rammed into a wall. It’s nothing serious, ok? It’s just tender.” He smiled at him and when he heard a pitter patter at the end of the house it dawned on him that he had the kids over. “Shit, shitshitshit.” He pulled up to a seating position.

“Baby? What’s wrong?”

“The kids! We were supposed to go get things…”

“For Clara. I know. We uh, we kinda did that already.” He muttered, suddenly insecure that he had stepped over the line. It was one thing to have the kids over without Danny, or to go for shave ice, and a very different one to go out with them to buy things for Danny’s mum without consulting first.

Danny eyebrows shot up and Steve had an apology ready to go when the blond sighed, melting into the mattress again. Into Steve side. “You did?” He tugged on his arm until he followed him down. “Thank you, babe.”

“Of course.” He dipped and kissed him. “Grace was worried about it so I suggested we could go buy everything you had on the list and then this afternoon we can work on the office.”

Danny kissed him again, letting him take charge. Someday Steve would understand that he didn’t need his permission to take the kids to go shopping or to the cinema. It was quite obvious that they would have to work some on it, but one day it would happen. He would make damn sure of it.

Nails against the door interrupted them, followed by a pointed bark.

“Well, I guess this is it for today.” Danny huffed as Steve chuckled, standing up. “Please tell me there’s coffee.”

“Of course there’s coffee. Who do you take me for, hm?” He grinned before flinging a pair of sweatpants right on his face.

“Charming, Steven.” Danno shot back as he put on said garment, still sitting on the bed.

The brunette simply rolled his eyes and opened the door, Charlie barrelling inside and jumping into his father arms, licking his face as if he hadn’t seen him just the day before. Grace also came inside the room, in human form, and sat next to him.

“You ok, Danno?” She questioned, her eyes scanning her father, looking for any sort of injury.

“Yeah Monkey, just a bit bruised.” Steve rolled his eyes at that, barely refraining to correct him. “Steve said you went shopping without me. I feel betrayed, Monkey.” He wrapped an arm around her waist when she sat down on his good leg.

“You were the one sleeping, Danno.” She shot back, grinning at him. “Besides, Uncle Steve got you a present.”

“He did, huh?” He looked at him, arching an eyebrow. “So? Where’s my present, babe?”

Steve huffed and disappeared, the three Williams following him, Charlie running ahead. They sat around the table, Steve chuckling when Danny yawned. Without a word he prepared him his coffee and set the mug in front of him.

Danny took a large gulp. “Hmm... Perfect. Thanks, babe.” And before Steve could react, he was tugging him down. And Steve went willingly, pressing a loving kiss on his lips. Gracie knew about them and Charlie probably didn’t care at all: for him all kisses were yucky.

“Why can’t you always be this nice, huh?”

“You wouldn’t have chosen me as your partner if I were nice, babe.” He replied, smirking at him. “Hitting you across the face? You probably saw it as courting or something.”

“Not that much, but it was very... surprising.” He kissed his nose before pulling away, sitting on Danny’s other side, Charlie jumping onto his lap, pawing at the bag. He set a hand on his flank, trying to settle him on his lap, laughing when Charlie rose on his back legs, front paws on his chest and tongue licking his face. “Hey, hey, calm down pup. Not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Grace smiled behind her father, leaning over. “That a promise, Uncle Steve?”

He blinked at her before smiling back. “Yes. Yes it is, Gracie.”

“Good. Took you long enough.” And she leaned back again.

Danny kissed her head. “Be nice Monkey, you know he doesn’t do emotions that well.”

“I thought you said he had improved.”

Danny shot him a smirk, but his eyes… God, his eyes were so blue and so full of love and happiness that Steve couldn’t even care that he was being made fun of.

“You remember how he was at the beginning. A completely big, bad, manner-less dog.” He stated.

“And you know because you are so good at manners, huh baby? Not sure I wanna give you your present now.”

“No! You have to, Uncle Steve!” Charlie whined as soon as he was human again, pulling a laugh of the other three.

“I’m kidding, Charlie, just kidding.” He wrapped his arms around his midsection to make him sit on his lap. He grabbed the bag and pulled the two rolled aprons, handing them to the older blond. “We uh, we can change them if you don’t like them.” 

Danny simply took them, unrolling the first one. Grace snorted while Danny huffed. “Seriously Steven?” He turned it around, showing him which one it was the words _Your opinion is not in the recipe_ stamped in white on the top half.

“What? It sounds like something you’d say. It just goes to show how much I know you.” He shot back.

The cop took the other one, lips tugging into smile at the words in there, _I cook as good as I look_. “Where did you even find these things?”

“Actually, it was Charlie here who found them.” He replied, kissing his little head. “Isn’t that right, kiddo?”

“Yeah! Because you said you needed one, Danno!” He exclaimed, stretching his arms for Danny to take him.

“Thank you, baby, how about we get take away for dinner tonight, huh?

"Yes! Indian?"

"Whatever you want. Now go get dressed.” He kissed him on the cheek and then left him on the floor, the kid skipping to his room. “You too, babe, you didn’t have to.”

Steve sighed and stood up, bending to kiss his temple. “No, but I wanted to. Finish the coffee. You can have breakfast while we have lunch, how’s that sound?”

“Perfect. I’ll go take a shower. Do you mind keeping an eye on him, Monkey?” He stage whispered.

“Of course not Danno. Been doing it since I was 8.” She grinned and walked to the kitchen, leaving them alone.

* * *

The afternoon had gone by with them making piles of books that could be given away to the local library, things that they would keep mostly pictures, memorabilia and some of Danny’s favourite books, books that would go to Steve’s place and stuff to throw away. Everything work related was in a file cabinet that would be brought to the Palace at some point the following week. Dinner had been a mix of Chinese, Indian and pizzas and by the time they finished, they were all tired.

Charlie had fallen asleep on Steve while Danny did the dishes and Grace had disappeared into her room, claiming she had a video call with Will. While Danny finished straightening up the kitchen Steve tucked the child into bed.

He heard Grace talking in hushed tones and he knocked on her door, softly.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me. Can I come in for a second?”

“Yeah, of course Uncle Steve!” She was sitting on the bed, her laptop propped up on top of some pillows in front of her. She had lowered the screen some. “What’s up?” 

“Just wanted to talk to you for a moment.” He said, sitting on the bed, cradling her face.

“Okay…? Did I do something? Is it because we teased you before?”

Steve shook his head. “Of course not Gracie, I don’t mind, promise. If I did, I don’t think Danno and I would have been good partners.” He explained.

“Yeah, that’s true.” She grinned at moved closer to him. “So what is it?”

“It’s about this morning. I don’t want you to ever think that I’m doing things for you to like me now that Danny and I are together, ok? I know you love me. And you know I love you.” She nodded. “I… I told Danno, when we got together, that I love you and Charlie as if you were my own children. And that does not mean, under any circumstances, that I expect you to see me or treat me as another dad, alright? But I wanted you to know.”

Grace nodded and then flung herself into his arms, sitting on his lap as she did when she was still little, arms and legs wrapped around him.

“Uncle Steve, I’ve always thought of you as an other dad. Like, Step-Stan, but more." She told him, head resting on his shoulder. "You always treated me for me, not like mum's or Danno's daughter like step-Stan or Melissa did."

He squeezed her tightly against his chest. "I love you, Grace. You, Charlie and Danno."

"Especially Danno."

"No. All of you. Just differently." He nuzzled her head and pressed a soft kiss on it. "Go to sleep, ok? Clara is getting here really early on the morning."

"Ok. I love you too." She climbed off, rubbing her eyes to hide the tears that had gathered there. “Good night, Uncle Steve.”

“Good night sweetheart. Good night Will.” He said, louder.

“Oh, uh, g-good night Commander McGarrett.” Came from the laptop.

With one last smile he left her alone, closing the door, almost jumping three foot in the air when he saw Danny leaning against the wall, a small smile on his lips, eyes closed and head tipped back. He kissed him on the lips, smiling when Danny surrendered before the fight had even started.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?”

“Listening the man I love being an amazing father.” He replied, pulling him to their room before Steve could reply. Once there, he worked on his clothes, dropping piece after piece on the floor until Steve was standing there, in the middle of the room, completely naked. “Come here, let me see you.” Danny sat on the edge of the bed and Steve stood between his legs and Danny's hand went straight to Steve's thighs, holding him close. "Can't do much with the kids here, but I want to look. Get on the bed, babe."

Steve smiled and obeyed, climbing on his side of the bed and laying on his back, watching how Danny removed his clothes, making a mental note of putting some bottoms or underwear before falling asleep.

Danny lay next to him, on his side, propped on an elbow, his other hand roaming Steve's legs and torso.

"You are perfect babe." He professed, lips pressing kisses all over his tattoo. Steve was staying still with all of his military precision, simply basking in Danny’s love and touches, his face relaxed in a way Danny rarely saw outside of their homes.

“Tell me about the case, Danno.”

“I already told you everything there was to it, babe. And until I call back to Jersey to see if they’ve heard anything, we can’t do much.” He whispered. “How about you tell me about yours?”

Steve moved onto his side and tugged Danny closer, resting his head on top of Danny’s, but angling his body in a way that gave the blond some breathing room, not wanting to trigger his claustrophobia. And then he told him about Luka and Annie, her parents, Barton, Russel and the visceral reaction Lou had. There had only been one time they had seen him so vivid and that had been when Sam had been kidnapped.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” Danny apologised.

“You don’t have to be sorry, baby. We agreed I’d call you if we needed more people. And HPD clearly needed you there.” He brushed a kiss on his forehead. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course babe.” He pulled back a little to be at the same eye level as his partner, rumbling when Steve scratched behind his ear.

“Before, you said that HPD assigned a Junior Detective to this case.” Danny nodded. “So wouldn’t it have made more sense to put someone with more experience?”

“Actually, they should have told us the second they found out it was related to Salvo.” He mumbled, frowning. “I think that’s why Duke called me directly instead of going to the Captain to request the transfer, what with the excuse of needing someone who speaks Italian. Very underhanded of him.” He said, grinning.

“You think so?”

“Mh-hm. It’s Duke we are talking about. Besides, our case would have popped up the second they typed Salvo. Guess you’ll have to go see what that was about, babe. Why the question, though?”

Steve squirmed in his hold, Danny waiting patiently, but the ex-SEAL knew he would not get away with not answering. “I was just wondering if maybe they didn’t want the kid working there with them for whatever reason.”

Danny hummed and sat up, tucking his good leg under him, stroking Steve’s hip at those words. “So what you want to know if they did the same with me.”

Steve looked at him and Danny could see in his eyes that he already knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say to have real ground to stand on when he stormed into Captain Na’ope’s office to demand an explanation as to why a high profile case had been kept from them and assigned to someone who did not have the qualifications to work on it without proper supervision or a partner.

“So? Did they?”

Danny shrugged. “They tried. Didn’t work. I was not a newbie, even if they were convinced I was an idiot from the mainland who didn’t know anything. It didn’t help that Captain Tanaka didn’t want me there either.”

“Because of your shift form.” He took his free hand and kissed it, licking his knuckles and biting the rough skin of his palm.

“Partly. He didn’t want to hire a haole Detective. He had been pressured to give me the spot of a Detective instead of a local, which he didn’t like.”

“But your record…”

“They didn’t care about that, Steven. For the other detectives I was just the asshole haole who had taken the spot reserved for one of them. For Tanaka I was just a dangerous shifter who had no interest on getting along with the others. I screwed up once, Steve. Once. I was on the phone with Rachel because she wanted to change my visitation rights again and I was arguing with her when Makino called. When I answered the phone he had already been taken.”

“So? He pulled you off because of that? You could simply have been on break, or following another lead when he called, what would he have done then, huh?” Anger at Captain Tanaka was once again simmering below his skin at how much he had hurt his partner. And, once more, he understood why Danny had hated the islands so much. He would have hated it here in those circumstances.

“I don’t know, babe. But yeah, he pulled me off of it, sent it to cold cases division or something.”

“He didn’t assign someone else to it?”

“Not as far as I know, but he gave me in another case a few days later. No one had wanted it so he just gave it to me. I guess he was expecting me to screw even more so he could just kick me out of the force.” He was avoiding Steve eyes now, tracing the same path his hand was doing on the tan skin.

“What was the case about?”


	15. Chapter 15

**“What was the case about?”**

Danny smiled sadly, bending to press their foreheads together, kissing his cheek on the process. “Your dad.”

Steve breath stuttered at those two short words and he felt regret and sadness wash all over him again. “No one... No one wanted him? My dad?” His voice was as unsure as Danny had ever heard it, almost childlike sadness and desperation, and his heart broke all over again for causing that beautiful man so much pain.

“Steve…” Danny kept talking, but Steve couldn’t hear him, white static surrounding him.

No one had wanted to deal with it. No one wanted to deal with the murder of a cop? Why? What had his father ever done to receive such treatment? Had he not helped hundreds of people during his active time in HPD? Had he not been loved by his colleagues? Had he not suffered enough in his life?

He stood up and marched outside, to the small lanai (not sure it could even be called that), Danny right behind him, but he didn’t follow outside, he went to the kitchen. Steve sat down on one of the chairs, resting his elbows on his knees and grabbing his head.

He didn’t really know Tanaka, he had only seen the man once in his and he had disliked him simply because of his treatment towards Danny: had the man died on that house that day he would not have felt anything, maybe some remorse for not getting there in time, but as long as Danno was ok, he was ok. And after he learnt one of the reasons Danny hated HPD and Hawaii so much was directly because of Tanaka himself, he had wanted to go after the guy and show him what dangerous really looked like.

He had been so pissed when he met Danny, headhated the blond on sight, not for who he was, he didn’t know him, but because of what he represented: uncaringness. They had sent a _mainlander_ to investigate his father’s death, someone who didn’t even know him and didn’t care for him more than he would have for another homicide victim. They had seen his father’s murder as a way to punish the unruly, loud, mouthy haole who had been pushed aside from his own investigation because a witness disappeared as if that wasn’t a daily occurrence.

He had read the initial report and they had ruled it as a homicide, true, but it didn’t seem that anyone had been putting any effort to it.

No one except Danny. 

Danny, who had been sent there as a _punishment_ but still did his job with the integrity of a proper police detective _._

Danny, who got a name in _hours_ while the two main investigators had spent 48 hours doing their job and coming up empty. 

Danny, who pointed a gun at a Navy SEAL and didn’t back down just to protect his crime scene.

* * *

The blond gave him an unsure smile as he sat down in front of him, setting two mugs of steaming hot tea on the table next to them. 

“Hey, listen to me for a second.” He took his hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing his knuckles. He nodded, feeling the tension leave his body now that he had Danny with him. “John had… John was loved babe, everyone who had known and worked with him loved and respected him. You remember how Chin talked about him, right?” Steve nodded. “But at the same time, the guys _I_ worked with… They didn’t know _him_. They knew him as someone obsessed with ghosts, trying to go against something so much bigger than him with no resources.” He explained. “So they sent in the one guy who hadn’t known or heard of him.”

Steve nodded before tugging Danny into a bone crushing hug, nuzzling his shoulder as he tried to put his thoughts in order. “Thank you.” He muttered, his voice filled with emotion. “I never knew… Thank you for taking his case, baby. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

“Steve, you know that Tanaka...”

“Sent you there? Yes, I know. But I also know you. If you really didn’t want to do it, you would have refused. Danny, I’ve seen you hang up on the FBI, the CIA, the _Governor_ … But you still took it.”

“Of course, babe. I didn’t know him, but he was a cop.” Of course he had taken it: no one deserved to not have justice delivered, dead or alive. Especially a great cop like John McGarrett, he had read his file, trying to understand him better.

“I don’t know if you know but… You were the only one who had found out something about it.” Danny hummed, of course he knew. Pule and Santos were sloppy, always had been: they were there for the payday, not because they wanted to be there. Maybe once upon a time they did, who knew. “I never asked.”

“Asked what?” He adjusted his position, sliding to sit on Steve lap, seeing that the ex-SEAL was clearly not going to release him any time soon. He wrapped his arms around him, too, burying one hand on the still dark but greying hair.

“How did you find out about Doran?”

Danny snorted, pulling away. “Organised crime, babe. Basically the same everywhere, you just gotta know what you are looking for and who to ask.”

“You had an informant.” He suddenly realised and how the hell had he not thought of that possibility before? Of course Danny would have informants, too.

“Yup. Lokelani Palakiko. She was the middle woman between Doran, his providers and his customers, when Dorian died I helped her get clean, get a job. She works as a High School Counselor. She’s married now. Her wife Noelia has two biological kids, David and Oscar, and she loves them like they are her own. They call her mama. I’m Uncle Danny.” He told him, smiling at the memory of the two teenagers.

“What? You never told me!” Steve exclaimed, pushing away, but just enough to look at him, pouting. “I thought we had no secrets, Danno.”

“You never asked, babe. You can tag along next time we meet, yeah?” He kissed him, slowly, sneaking his tongue inside and smiling in his head when Steve slumped backwards, relaxing. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”

Steve looked at him, cradling his face. “I’m not. It hurts, it’s true, and I wish I had tried to reach out to him before, but... I got you out of it. You, the kids, your mum, your sisters, the team… I got Mary and Aunt Deb back, too. And Joannie.” 

Danny only nodded, a lump forming on his throat at those words.

“Let’s go back to bed, hm, Danno?”

“Yeah.” He croaked, drinking his tea in one go, Steve doing the same.

* * *

“I thanked Makino when I went to visit him.” He confessed once they got back inside the bed. “Because I would have never met you otherwise. You wouldn’t have given _me_ a family.” He paused for a second. “ _You_ wouldn’t have become family. And I would have been stuck in HPD. I probably would have left the force at some point.”

Steve shuddered at that thought: Danny not doing what he was born to do would not only be a loss to the world, but it would have caused the blond so much pain. He squeezed him tighter and kissed him, rolling them so he was over him.

“Meka would have been alive.”

Danny closed his eyes for a moment and let out a shuddering breath. “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe Kaleo would have gotten him anyways. Or me. Or both.”

Steve never replied, kissing him softly on the lips. “And I probably wouldn’t have had a hairline fracture in my jaw.” He teased, lifting the mood again.

“And I wouldn’t have a scar in my arm. Hell, I probably wouldn’t have gained as many scars, period.”

“Maybe, but I like them. Sexy.” He muttered before kissing one on his shoulder.

“Heh, of course you do.”

Steve rolled his eyes at him before nipping at his neck. “Can I?”

Danny stifled a moan and feebly pushed at Steve’s shoulders. “But… the kids…”

“So be silent.” He gave him his patented smirk before sliding down, lips latching onto a hardening nub. “I’ll take you out to Maui for a whole weekend if you manage to keep quiet."

"Yeah?" His voice was breathy already and Steve loved that he could make him sound like this with just a few touches.

"Yeah. Once everything has settled. Just you and me, a suite and a very nice bed. No phones. No work."

"I'd like that a lot."

Steve smiled at him before biting on the tip, drinking on Danny's small moan. He saw him bring on hand to his face, probably to bite down on it.

He kept nipping at Danny's chest, relishing in the aborted moans and whimpers.

He sucked on the spot right under his ribs, leaving behind a purple spot but hey, no one would see it there, right? So Danno couldn’t yell at him for that one. Not when he tensed and let out a whimper as needy as he had.

Steve looked up and groaned when his cock throbbed at the sight that was Danny biting down on his arm, bicep bulging while he gripped the sheets with his other hand.

He rose up, going to his knees and settling on Danno's strong thighs, aligning their cocks together.

“Hn!” Danny arched off the bed, bending his legs, making Steve slide down some, his ass pressing down on Danny’s cock. He felt his hole clench at the memory of how amazing Danny had make him feel the other day.

“Fuck, baby. You are amazing.”

He slid down to lie next to him, propping his back with the pillows behind him. “Come here.” He tugged on his arm and the shorter male went willingly, climbing onto his lap, Steve doing the same action he had done earlier and trapping Danny between his thighs. “Good?”

“Mh-hm.” He nodded, his head thrown back. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just… Move, baby.” He put his hands on his hips, rubbing his hip bones, fingers stretching towards his ass. “But don’t touch yourself. That’s mine.”

Danny huffed out a laugh at that. “Control issues.” He teased before bringing his hands down to his chest, pinching his nipples between his fingers, his hips rolling lazily, Steve’s cock nested snugly in his ass.

“Dannooo…” He moaned before Danny kissed him, nipping at his lips.

“You gotta be quiet too, babe. Won’t do much good if you can’t keep your voice down, you know?” He told him, bending to offer him kiss that was accepted and taken with no second thoughts.

“And what do I get?”

“You get to take me out to Maui. I will even go to the beach with you if you behave.”

“Ok, yeah, worth it.” Danny in board-shorts and dripping wet was always a sight. 

Danny grinned before he picked up his rhythm, biting down on his lips, but his eyes were locked on Steve face, the way his eyes were scrunched , his cheeks red and his lower lip between his teeth and seriously, wasn’t it supposed to be only models who looked sexy doing that?

“Steve, babe, please…” He whispered, his voice breathy, fingers curling in need against the SEAL’s hard chest.

“Yeah, yeah, keep going baby.” He whispered back, wrapping a hand around his lover’s thick cock, letting Danny fuck it, randomly squeezing and twisting, which made Danny buck every single time.

It didn’t take long until they were coming, Danny slumping forward to kiss Steve, hands tightening on his hair, pulling a bit. Danny rested his forehead on Steve’s shoulder, both gasping for air. The taller man let go of Danny’s hip and moved it to the blond’s nape, squeezing gently.

“Good, baby?”

“Fuck yeah.” He nodded before flopping next to him. “Can’t wait for you to fuck me.” He told him, turning his head to grin at him.

Steve chuckled before taking him into a dirty kiss, the hand that Danny had fucked, dirty with cum, groping him, pulling a breathy chuckle from his lover. “Can’t wait to fuck you either.” He told him before he stood up and went to the bathroom, coming back with a wet towel to clean themselves.

Once clean and wearing underwear, they slid under the covers, Steve quickly rolling them to their sides so he could wrap his arm around his waist, nuzzling the back of his head.

“I love you, Danno.” He professed.

“I love you too, babe.” He brought his hand up and kissed his knuckles. “Thank you for being here.”

“Always.”

* * *

“Danny, calm down. She’ll be collecting her bags by now. And it’s only 5am, there won’t be that many people.” Steve told him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, playing with Charlie’s hair. He was sleeping on Danny shoulder, and Grace was leaning heavily against Steve’s frame, her eyes dropping closed every few minutes. Eric was leaning against the car, also more asleep than awake: he was supposed to go to work in a short while, but he had wanted to at least say hello to Clara on her arrival.

It didn’t take long until a head of blond curls came through the doors. Danny perking up instantly and Steve reaching for the child in his arms.

“Go. Danny, go.” He gave him a light shove and he left them, going straight to his mother, wrapping his arms around her, clutching her shirt in his hands.

“Daniel.” She said, pulling away to cradle his face, her blue eyes fillings with tears as soon as she saw her only remaining son.

“Ma.” He smiled at her before hugging her. “I missed you so much.” He mumbled.

“I missed you too, darling. Thank you for picking me up.” She whispered into his ear. “Thank you for making me come. You don’t know how much it means, sweetheart.”

“Don’t thank me for this Ma. Of course I brought you out here.” He kissed her cheek. “Let’s go to the car, give me your bags.”

She handed them over to her son, linking their arms together. “Where are the kids?”

“By the car with Steve.” He replied, leading her to them. “They are more asleep than awake, though!” He said, laughter colouring his voice.

And despite her obvious sadness and pain she smiled at the mention of her beloved grandchildren. And once more she thanked the stars for giving her a such a good son that made sure that she wasn’t a stranger to his children.

Grace looked up when she heard Danno’s laugh, slipping from under Steve’s arm to run full speed at her grandmother. “Grandma Clara!” She wrapped her arms around the older woman. “You are here!”

“I’m so glad to see you, darling.” She told her, taking her face between her face, kissing her forehead. “You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.” Grace nodded, her own eyes brimming with tears.

Eric had come up to them, wrapping his arms around her, too. “Hi, Grandma.”

“Oh Eric… You’ve become such a fine young man.” She said, wrapping him in a hug with her other arm, the other still firm around her granddaughter.

“Thank you, Grandma.” He checked his watch. “Ow fuck. I have to go to work, it’s my turn today to work today.” He apologised. “We can meet tomorrow for lunch?”

“Of course dear. Go, don’t be late.” She kissed her cheek. “And you need to tell me everything about your girlfriend, ok?”

“Grandma!” He blushed, pulling a chuckled from both Grace and Danny. “I’ll-I’ll see you later.” He kissed her cheek to before basically running to his car.

“They’ve grown so much, Danny…” Clara said, looking at her son, pride filling her at how good her family was. What remained of it, any ways.

“But you can see them grow now, Ma.” Danny said, his own voice filled with emotion. “Let’s go.”

He wrapped his arms around two of his favourite women in the planet and led them to his favourite men (or men and a half, at that point in time). Charlie was sleeping on Steve, his little arms wrapped around the man’s neck, legs around his midsection and his head tucked on his shoulder.

“Hey buddy, look who’s coming.” He shook him lightly and the child rose slightly, turning around.

“Grandma!” And even though he was mostly in the land of nod he reached out to her. Clara rushed to him, taking him in her arms and holding him like she had done so many times with her own children. “Hi grandma!”

“Hi sweetie! When did you get so big, huh?” Her voice was wet again, but Danny was happy to notice that it was with good emotions.

“Dunno.” He replied, tucking his head on her shoulder. “You smell nice grandma.”

And Clara laughed at that, pure and light, filled with that joy that only children could give you.

“Steve. Hi.” She walked up to him. “I would hug you but…”

“Don’t worry, Clara.” He grinned at her before engulfing her in a hug. “I can do it for you.” He paused for a second. “I’m sorry we had to meet again under this circumstances, but know that I’m happy you are here with us.”

“And I’m happy to be here.”

* * *

They had dropped Steve at his place and after Clara had made him promise to be there for dinner with them. Charlie and Grace had gone back to bed both falling back asleep as soon as their heads touched the pillow.

Clara had refused to go back to bed, saying that she would be too jet lagged if she did and Danny knew he would not sleep again now, especially without Steve to cuddle him.

“Coffee, Ma?”

“Yes please.” She followed him to the kitchen, looking at him. “How have you been, darling?” Danny turned to eye her, scanning her from top to bottom. “Don’t do that Daniel, I am your mother, not one of your criminals or whatever you call them.”

He huffed at that, crossing his arms over his chest. “Then ask what you want to ask, Ma, instead of trying to play riddles with me”

She rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter. “The whole house smells like Steven. And neither of you have been seriously injured so, what’s going on?”

She looked at her son, the way he changed his weight from one foot to the other and clearly avoiding her eyes. And this one was the one good at poker? Just how bad were the rest of them?

“We might uh… We are…” He scratched his nose. “Together. We are together.” He ended up saying, using the excuse of the coffee being ready to turn around, his back to Clara.

She walked up to him and hugged him, after forcing him to turn around. “I’m so happy for you, honey. For both of you. You deserve to be happy, and no one could ever make the other happier than yourselves. He’s a good man.”

Danny nodded. “The best.


	16. Chapter 16

**Danny nodded. “The best.”**

They went to sit on the sofa, facing each other. “Does he know? About our shifts?” Clara questioned, her voice tinted with worry.

Danny smiled, nodding. “Yeah, of course Ma. That’s… That’s how we got together, actually. I had to shift for a case, so I had to tell them. And make sure Steve understood it was not about him.” He explained, diverting his eyes when his mother hummed an arched an eyebrow, telling him to go on. “Then we came here, we talked some more... Can you believe he asked me he was pack?" He scoffed, shaking his head at the memory. "And then he... he just went and kissed me.” Clara chuckled at his reddening face.

“He loves you so much, Danny.” She stroked his rough cheek. “And he loves the kids, too. The way he was holding Charlie earlier… He’ll be a good dad.”

Danny nodded. He knew what his mum was doing, that she was talking about _his_ relationship so they didn’t talk about hers. And he understood, so he didn’t raise the topic, either. She would talk when she was ready, and years of dealing with his partner had taught him to be patient when it came to talking about sensitive issues.

“He already is, Ma. We had a conversation about this. That giant oaf thought he shouldn’t sleep with me in my bed if the kids were home.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “He’s… so open now. He tells me when he’s feeling overwhelmed, or when he needs contact. He never did that before.”

“That’s because he knows you won’t reject him now, sweetheart. You can be… rough, sometimes.”

“What the hell does that mean? How am I rough?”

“You know you are very cynical, Daniel. You can’t believe someone outside our family would ever want to give you comfort and affection, so you don’t let them. Especially other men. You are always ready for a fight, but never for love.” She told him. “You’ve been like this since you were a kid. And Steve is just as bad, coupled with the fact that he hates asking for help even more than you do, well… it’s no wonder it took you boys so long to work it out. But I’m glad you have. I’ve never seen you so much in love. Not even with Rachel.”

“Ma!” Why did he think that discussing his love life with his mum was a good idea? 

“What? It’s true!” She took a long sip of her coffee, her clear eyes taking her son in: the way he seemed a lot more relaxed, how the circles and tiredness that were always around his eyes had reduced, his smiles were genuine now. She knew part of this was because he didn't have to hide what he was anymore, but she had no doubt that Steve had a lot to do with it, too. “You are glowing, sweetheart. And you two had been reaching out for the other more than usual in the car, that was what made me think. But darling, the way you were smiling at him and the house smelling like both of you? That just told me everything I needed to know. And all I ever wanted for you.” She hugged him close, kissing his blond hair. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, Ma.” He kissed her back before pushing his nose against her neck, breathing the soothing smell only his Ma could provide: the smell of blood-pack.

* * *

When the kids woke up, hours later they latched onto Clara, showing her the house, school projects and anything else they could think about. He used the time to do a round of laundry and called Eric, asking him if maybe he wanted to have lunch today instead of the following day.

So some time later they were all at the kids favourite Poke place and even though they insisted that Steve came along, the man said he was busy with chores, and after reassuring the Williams that he would be there for dinner, they let up and went to pick Eric up from HPD's lab.

Danny was so glad that they were able to distract Clara. Eric and Grace, perhaps, not so much since she interrogated them about their significant others, Danny laughing at their blushing faces and maybe taking a couple of pictures to send Stella. 

* * *

Steve woke up when he heard someone rummaging in the kitchen, he rolled looking for Danny and finding an empty space he blinked: Danny hadn’t left their chosen sleeping spots for weeks now, after finding out he could get back to sleep if Steve was there for him to cuddle, no matter what form they had taken.

With a yawn he headed there, stopping when he saw that it was Clara in the kitchen, not his boyfriend. After a lot of insisting they had left the master bedroom for her until they could find a bed for her room, and they had decided to sleep outside on the lanai on one of the dog beds. She saw him, frozen on the threshold, and smiled at him, raising a hand to ask permission to touch him and he walked up to her, licking her thin fingers.

She stroked his head, then his back, his flank before going back to his head, scratching his ear.

“You are really beautiful, Steve.” She told him. “Go join Danny in the living room.” He turned around and upon seeing Danno laying on the sofa, he doubted: he hadn’t meant to interrupt them, he had simply been worried about his partner, and if they were talking… “You are not interrupting, sweetheart. Go with him.”

He turned around, albeit still a bit reluctant, but knowing better than to disobey Clara Williams he climbed on the sofa next to Danno, curling around him in their preferred position. Danny woofed quietly at him, pressing in closer.

Clara sat down on the sofa and started petting them, starting at Steve’s head and finishing at Danny’s side and then back up again.

“Thank you for being here with me, kids.” She said, and Steve’s heart didn’t jump like it used when she included him as one of her many many children. She had started doing at some point last year, and Steve loved the warm feeling that spread through him. “You have no idea how much it means to me.” They whined at the same time, licking at her hand in comfort.

Danny raised his head and rested it on her lap, Steve following the motion without moving from his position. Clara didn’t say anything else, she just kept her ministrations, cup of tea in hand and sipping every now and then.

* * *

When Steve woke up, Danny was still under him, sleeping soundly. Clara had gone back to her room around 5am. Carefully he jumped to the floor, getting his clothes from where they left them last night in the laundry room, shifting and slipping into shorts, shirt, socks and running shoes. He kissed Danno’s head, but he didn’t even stir, so he left a note for him.

Danny woke up around 7 and stretched, noticing Steve’s absence and the note on the coffee table. Well, Steve was going to pick them up for school-dropping. Going straight to his bathroom through the hallways door and shifting, he took a shower and got dressed. He then woke up the kids, dressed Charlie and made sure they had breakfast.

The kids were still eating when Steve arrived freshly showered and his head still slightly damp, Eddie on his feet and running towards the kids. Danny was in the kitchen, finishing their lunch boxes.

“Hey babe, welcome back. Coffee?” He tipped his head back, offering a kiss.

“Yes, please.” He pressed their mouths together, just a sweet and short press of lips, keeping it PG since the kids were there. “Good morning.”

“So, where did you run to today?”

“Went home, picked Eddie and we ran some along the beach, then back and we drove here.” He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, turning him around. “Clara?”

“Still sleeping. Hey, uh, would it be okay if I came in later today? I know it’s kind of short notice but…”

Steve shushed him with a finger on his lips and a gentle smile. “Take the day off, Danno. You have so many personal days you never used. You could even take the week.”

Danny scrunched his nose and glared at him. “Leave you alone for a week? You are dreaming, babe.” Steve stared at him, unimpressed. “What? Do I really have to remind you what has happened every time I haven’t been with you?”

Steve kept silent for a couple seconds before hugging him. “No, thank you." Danny pinched his side at his petulant tone, but Steve continued talking. "Stay home, work from here, and if there’s a case, big or small, I will call you. I promise.” He nuzzled his head. “Clara needs you. And you need her. Spend some time with her, alright? Go check beds and stuff with her, take her sightseeing.”

The blond smiled and kissed him, hands linking on the back of his neck, pressing quick kisses on his lips when he pulled away. “I still don’t understand what I did to deserve you.”

Steve pressed a kiss on his cheek. “Oh, you’ve done plenty. Lots of things, but the main one is that you stayed by my side. Danno, you are the one person I’ve always known would never abandon me.” He looked at him, eyes filled with emotions he had always kept a tight lid on. “You are gorgeous. That also helps.”

Danny chuckled, hitting him on the arm lightly. “Animal.” He stepped away from him. “Kids, are you ready? Uncle Steve will drive you to school today. Take the Camaro, babe, I’ll take the Silverado so we can load the bed and whatever else we buy.” Steve nodded, kissing him: who would have told him that Danny would ever let him take the Camaro without him in it? "But I swear that if anything happens to my car, you'll be sleeping alone for a week." Yeah, that was more like his Danno.

"Promise I'll be careful. Scouts honour."

“Yeah!” Charlie yelled, running to them and latching on the taller man’s legs. “Uncle Steve met Miss Lani, Danno!”

“Oh God.” He groaned, glancing at the taller man. “Do I have to go and apologise?”

Steve gave him an unimpressed look. “I can be civilised, Danny.”

“That, my friend, I still have to see.” He kissed him on the cheek, easily stating he was simply teasing him. “Charlie, food.” He gave him his lunch box. “And please make sure to bring it back this time, please.”

“Yes, daddy!” He smiled brightly at him, and even now, after all those many years of knowing that Charlie was his son, his heart still skipped a beat at the word and that huge smile.

“Monkey, stop texting Will and come get your food!” He yelled.

Grace didn’t offer an answer, but she still went to pick up her lunch, kissing her dad on the cheek, heading straight for the car, sitting in the front.

Danny walked Charlie and Steve to the car, bending to hug his son, receiving a wet kiss on the cheek in exchange. “Bye Danno!”

“Bye pup.” He ruffled his head before hoisting him up to the car. “Be good, you hear me?”

“Yes, Danno!” He smacked another kiss on his cheek.

He turned to Steve, smiling at him. “Have a good day, babe.”

Steve smiled, leaning over to press a kiss on his lips. “You too. If we are still good by then, why don’t you come for lunch? We can take Clara to Kamekona’s if she’s up to it.” He suggested.

“Sounds like a good plan. And remember someone should go down to HPD to check on the Delano kid’s case.”

“Yes, yes. I remember Danny.” He pressed another quick kiss and climbed inside the car. “Go have fun with Clara. See you at lunch.”

* * *

“Morning Ma.” Danny greeted when Clara made it to the living room, already showered and perfectly dressed.

“Oh, good morning sweetheart.” She pressed a kiss on his cheek. “What are you doing home? Is one of the kids sick? You could have told me, I would have taken care of them.” She said as she started to go to the kitchen again. 

“No Ma, the kids are fine. I’m staying with you this week, get you settled in in your room.” He explained, raising his voice so he would be heard.

“Oh honey, you didn’t have to.”

“I want to. And well… Steve insisted.” He confessed. “Do you want to go out for lunch with him? To Kamekona’s?”

“Of course. You two have  _ so much  _ to tell me.” She sat down next to him, cuddling.

Danny let her get comfortable under his arm, clutching her cup of black coffee, before speaking.

“Did you get much more sleep?” He questioned.

Clara shrugged “In and out. You know how it is, and the jet lag didn’t help me at all. Did you? I didn’t mean to wake you two.”

“Ma, don’t apologise for that. I’m here for you. We both are. I’m the only one who can understand.”

She let out a shuddering breath, setting the coffee on the table in front of them. She then turned around to look at her son. “I know. And I hate it.” Clara cupped his face, her thumb stroking his rough cheek. “I’m sorry you are hurting again because of this.”

“Ma, no. This? It’s not pain, it’s anger. At dad. Rachel and I… we are good. Civilised. She knows about Steve. What I hate is that he hurt you because he is a coward that doesn’t deserve you. Hasn’t deserved you in many years.” He took a breath before he continued. “And anger at myself, because I didn’t listen when you came saying you were going to divorce him. Me and the girls shouldn't have gotten in the middle of it, shouldn’t have tried to fix it just for ourselves. We… I should have listened to what you were saying.” He finished, not looking at her, unable to face her. “I’m sorry Ma. We were… selfish. And you… you don’t deserve anything that has happened to you. I just… I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Clara shook her head. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to apologise. You did nothing wrong. I did the same, didn’t I? I tried to convince you to go back to Rachel when I shouldn’t have, and it only brought you more pain.” She kissed him on the forehead. “I don’t want you apologising for trying to make me happy. You didn’t hurt me, your father did. And you have no idea how good it is to be with you and the kids. To be a part of your life again. Of their life. I’ve missed you so much, Daniel. You have no idea.”

Danny gave her a soft smile before hugging her, hiding his face on her shoulder. “I missed you too, Ma. I meant it when I said it hasn’t been easy for me not seeing you and the girls. I went from seeing you every week to seeing you twice a year. If it… If it hadn’t been for Steve, I don’t know where I would be now, Ma.” He confessed, trembling. “I was… I was in a really bad place back then.”

“I know. I don’t think you are aware of how much you changed when you met Steve. You complained about him day in and day out, but you were alive again. Before that, you would only call to check up on us and never talk about you.” She scratched the back of his head, humming. “You had been so upset when he didn’t believe you about Meka’s death. It hurt you that he didn’t believe you, and not just because of Meka.”

“How…?” He had never told anyone about how much it had hurt that his partner hadn’t believed in him the one time he had needed him too. But Steve had come through, he had apologised (in his own way, of course) and had had Danny’s back ever since.

“I’m your mother, Daniel. I don’t need you to say how you feel to know it.” She chuckled. “You have no idea how worried he was when you were shot in quarantine. He apologised so many times, saying it was his fault. You really need to talk to that boy, honey, that’s not normal.”

He groaned, laughing sadly at that. “I know Ma. I’ve tried to make him understand. I’m trying to make him understand that not everything that goes wrong in the islands is his fault.” He pulled away, pushing his hair back. “I’ll talk with him as soon as I can, I promise.”

“Good. Now, do we have any plans for today?”

“I thought we could go get you a bed and a wardrobe, then I’ll introduce you to the kids, we pick Steve up, then we go for lunch and we can come back and put the things together.” He suggested, standing up. “And then we can make dinner together.”

“Sounds like a great plan. Let me do the dishes and we can go. Or do you need to finish this first?” She pointed at the folder on the coffee table. He had been working on his report for the Delano kid case, but he was almost done, so he shook his head. “Alright then. Give me twenty or thirty minutes and we can go.”

“Ok.” He should be able to finish it in that time, and then drop it off in the Palace for Steve to give the governor. Maybe he could pick up the kids reports if they were done.


	17. Chapter 17

**“Ok.” He should be able to finish it in that time, and then drop it off in the Palace.**

They had gone to the same store Danny had gotten all the furniture for his place, including Charlie’s race car bed and Grace's first outrageously pink closet.

“Ma, seriously, you don’t have to get a twin, we can get a queen, it’ll fit just fine.” He insisted.

“Maybe, but I don’t want you spending this kind of money on a bed for me, sweetheart.” She refused, again.

“Don’t _worry_ about that, Ma. I got a raise last year after the Governor decided that babysitting two SuperSEALs was too much for one man.” He grinned, clearly pleased with himself before he kissed her cheek. She sighed in defeat, and Danny knew he had won.

“We don’t need to buy a wardrobe, though. We shipped it over, so I'll wait for it.”

Danny stopped, turning to stare at her. “You shipped the…? Why?”

Clara shrugged, grinning at him. “I liked it.”

“Okay… Do you need something else? A chest? Oh, we should get a nightstand.” He turned on his heels to head to head to that section of the store when Clara grabbed him by the elbow, tugging him back to her side.

“No. I’m going to buy some old ones and fix them up.” She interrupted them. “I miss doing those sort of things. And I saw one of Gracie’s wardrobe doors is a bit loose.” She was right, now that he thought about it, but he hadn’t had time to fix it yet. “And the doors need some repainting.”

“We can go tomorrow.”

There was one thing that most people didn’t know about his mother loved putting furniture together, restoring and painting it. She was always the one to fix everything around their home, claiming that with their father in the firehouse most of the time and four children running around the house there was always something in need of fixing so she had had to learn how to do it, and then she had found it not only was she good at it, she actually enjoyed doing it.

She plastered a kiss on his cheek and basically dragged him to the nearest sales assistant to get the cheapest queen they had a set of pillows and Danny decided that since he was there he'd get a pillow for Steve, too, because were Danny preferred harder ones, Steve favoured the really fluffy ones, not that he ever had to wonder why. 

* * *

They arrived at the Palace and just in case, Danny decided to park in the underground garage. There weren't many people stupid enough to try and steal something from their parking spots outside, but there was always an idiot willing to try their luck.

“Danny! I thought you weren’t coming in today?” Tani exclaimed when they ran into her on the elevator.

“And I’m not. I came to introduce you kids to my mom and drop some papers with Steve.” He smiled. “Ma, this is Tani. Tani this is Clara, my mum.”

“Hi! Nice to meet you!” She extended her hand, but Clara simply tugged into a gentle hug and Tani melted into it: she probably hadn't had a motherly hug since her own mother had passed away.

Danny only smiled gently, because he knew that Tani missed her parents. He could already see that his mum would become the adoptive mum for everyone besides, quite obviously, Lou.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. Danny and the kids talk a lot about you and Junior all the time.” The blond woman replied as she pulled away. “He says you’ll make a great detective one day.” The young woman didn't say anything, she simply glanced his way, but refused to look at him, her cheeks reddening and Danny could only chuckle at her reaction.

“Ma, you're embarrassing her. Let’s go, kid.” He tugged them both towards the office. “Steve in here?”

“Yeah, he was scowling at a stack of papers before I left.” She told him. "I'm pretty sure he was trying to set it on fire with his mind."

The blond man laughed at that, but he could see his partner trying to do that. “I’ll take care of it. How is your report coming along, huh?” He arched an eyebrow at her.

“Oh hum… I’m still working on it?” She gave him a sheepish smile. “I’ll go finish it.”

“You do that.” He replied, shaking his head. "If you are done with it when we come back I'll take with me."

“Clara!” Lou’s voice boomed through the space, the woman twirling around to wrap her arms around the big man. “How are you doing?”

Seeing that her mum was entertained he headed straight for his partner’s office. Seeing that he was alone he didn’t bother to knock.

“Hey babe.” He greeted. "My report." He said, leave the folder on the table.

“Danno!” His grin brightened the whole room and Danny’s heart felt light as a feather at how his whole body eased and he seemed to lose 5 years. He brought the blinds down, rounded the table and sat on the arm rest, Steve’s hand going straight for his waist, fingers hooking in the belt loops to hold him close. “Did you find everything?”

“Sort of. We bought the bed, but Ma wants to get stuff to restore so we’ll go tomorrow. Do you need help with this?” He pointed at the form in front of him.

“No. Nope. We agreed you were out this week unless it was for a case and this, baby, is not a case.” He grinned at him before kissing his shoulder.

Danny rolled his eyes at him and stood up. “Alright, alright. You keep doing that and I’ll go check on Junior and his report. That kid is as bad as you, I swear.”

“Shut up, Danno.” Danny chuckled and ran his hand through his hair, Steve sighing and heavily leaning into the touch. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” He was dying to lean in and kiss him, but it was not the time or the place. “Once I’m done with the kids we head out for lunch?” Steve hummed in agreement, still pressing his head against the warm hand against his scalp.

Danny left the office and seeing how Clara was still talking with Lou, he went straight to the kid’s office. “Hey Danny! Steve said you weren’t coming in.” The young SEAL exclaimed, walking up to him and stopping a couple feet away, the same way a pup would.

“And I’m not. We came to pick him up and I want to see how your reports are coming along.” He grinned at him when Junior shuffled on his feet. “So?”

“I uh… I’ve misplaced it?”

Danny arched an eyebrow at those words and god, the Navy really needed to teach its SEALs how to fucking lie without looking like a kicked puppy. They could withstand hours and days of torture without saying a word, which was clearly the best course of action seeing that as soon as they opened their mouths they became open books.

Steve clearly didn’t pick that up from his mum or Joe.

“You’ve misplaced it, huh?”

“Y-yes sir.” He said, nodding.

He sighed, shaking his head and resisting the urge to knock on the kid's forehead. “Junior, your folder is on the table. I can see the blank document from here. I know it’s boring, alright? But you need to do it. Especially since you made the arrest.”

“I know sir, I just… Got distracted helping Jerry. I apologise, it won’t happen again.” He said, almost saluting him, which made Tani snicker.

“It’s fine, just see that it doesn’t become a habit, ok?”

“Yes, sir!”

“And drop the sirs already! We had been making such progress.” He exclaimed. “Anyhow, come with me for a second.” He grabbed him by the elbow, waving at Adam to come out too. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” They followed him to the blonde woman in the middle of the debriefing room and they didn’t need to ask to know who it was, because Danny was a shorter, stockier male version of her. “Guys, this is my mother Clara. Ma, these are Junior and Adam.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you! Danny talks about you a lot!” She greeted, hugging Adam first, then Junior.

Yeah, definitely Danny’s mom.

The blond man smiled when Junior also melted into the hug, the same way the other rookie had.

* * *

Clara watched the two men in front of her, sitting side by side at Kamekona's: Steve had an arm wrapped around Daniel's shoulders, keeping him close and she had never seen her son so relaxed, he was heavily leaning against Steve and looking up at him with unmasked love and adoration. Until then there had only been two people who put that look on his face, and those were his kids. And he could see the same look on Steve every time he looked down and saw Danny's smile, or heard his laughter.

She was really happy they finally found each other.

"I talked with Mary the other day." Steve said, smiling at her. "She said she wouldn't be able for a few months, but that she would like to Skype with you, Joannie has been asking to see you again."

Danny squeezed Steve's knee when his mother perked up, a smile on her lips at those words. "Really?"

"Yeah. And she has to interview her grandmother for a school assignment." He told her. 

Clara stopped mid-bite, glancing up at him. "W-what? I'm not her grandmother"

"Yes you are." The ex-SEAL said easily. "You've been there for her more than Doris. She doesn't even _know_ Doris. You are the one who calls to check on them, who sends Christmas cards and send them birthday presents. Not just Joannie, but Mary, too." He pulled his arm back from Danny's shoulders and took her much thinner hands in his. "Clara? You always say we are like you kids, right?"

"Yeah, of course you are." She nodded, and she had that same fierce look on her face that Danny had when someone doubted him.

"So, you are like our mom. Joannie's Nana." He gulped and the next second Danny's arm wrapped around his waist, squeezing in support. "I don't-I don't how much you know about Doris, but you've done more for us since we've met you than she ever did for us. I've asked her, every single year, to come home, and every single year she says she will, but not once has she come back. Not once."

"Steve..." She squeezed his hands until he looked at her. "I love you, ok? Never forget that. You, Mary-Ann and Joan you are my kids and my granddaughter as much as my own children and grandchildren." He nodded, a small smile on his lips. "And I'll be honoured to take that interview. Just tell me when, alright?"

"Yeah." Steve let go of her and instantly wrapped an arm around his lover again. 

"Good. But now it's my turn to ask questions." Steve swallowed and this time there was no comforting squeeze on his side, but an amused chuckle next to him. "Pack? Did you seriously ask Daniel if you were pack?"

Immediately Steve decided he'd rather be back with the Taliban than facing his mom/mother-in-law.

* * *

"Stella knows." Danny said one night, one week and two days after Clara had arrived, when they sat down on the sofa, full with Indian take out and beers in hand: Clara had basically kicked them out of Danny’s, saying that she could do with a night to herself.

They suspected that it was not a coincidence that Junior was spending the night at Adam’s, but they had gone with it, said nothing and Danny had driven them to Steve's house (and wasn't that a nice side effect, that he got to drive his car more), sat him on the sofa with the order to look for a good game as he ordered from Steve's favourite restaurant.

Steve hummed. “I’m not surprised there, if you mom is as bad as you at keeping secrets... I'm surprised your sisters aren't here yet.” He slid down the sofa, bringing his legs up and resting his head on Danny’s lap, leaving his bottle on the coffee table.

It was a new position with them with both of them being in human forms but Danny was not complaining, no sir, it meant Steve felt safe, and he was all in for that. He started running his fingers through the short hair, tugging softly every now and then. By the time it was half-time, Steve was completely relaxed against him, one hand tucked under Danny’s thigh and the other hanging loose, knuckled pressed against the carpet.

“You still awake, babe?”

“Yeah.” He turned around to smile at him. “Mary used to lay like this when we were kids, I wanted to see if it really was that comfortable.” He confessed.

“And?”

Steve stretched, looking up at him. “It really is. Although I think it has more to do with you than me liking it just because it's comfortable.” He grinned at him and Danny could see that dangerous edge on his lips that promised very good, very dirty things.

“Smooth talker.” 

“Only for you.” He turned around, back to the TV and facing Danny. Before the blond could even wonder what was going on, Steve pushed his nose against Danny’s crotch, inhaling deeply, mouthing a bit, too.

“Steve!?” He exclaimed, surprised at the sudden and unexpected gesture.

“Missed you.” He simply said, now nuzzling him. Danny moaned softly, it was strange for Steve to let his instincts take over like this, even at home, he usually was a lot more controlled than this, not that he didn’t like it, it was just shocking. And so very, very hot. “Fuck, you smell so good, baby. I want to eat all of you.”

“Won’t hear me complaining, but let me take a shower first, I reek.” He pushed at his shoulders, but Steve wouldn’t budge, pressing his nose against his hardening cock again.

“I don’t care.” He growled in reply. 

“You will. I’ll smell more like myself after a shower, I’ve got perp all over me and you know it. I promise I’ll make it quick.” Danny said as he tugged him up, towards his lips. “Or, you could come shower with me…” He whispered.

Steve hummed at that, considering, because Danny did make a very strong point. They had traded their work clothes in favour of loose shirts and soft pants when they arrived home, but Danny did have the lingering smell of that fox they had been chasing and that had rubbed all over him in a futile attempt to sexy her way out of a first-degree murder charge.

It had been amazing to see her lose her confidence when Danny simply arched an eyebrow at her, spun her around and pressed her against the car, handcuffing her and giving her away to the first uniform he caught. Steve had really wanted to press him against the Camaro and fuck him silly, make that bitch see who Danno belonged to. And who belonged to Danno, because it sure as hell would not be her.

“Okay.” He finally said, giving in. “But I get to wash your hair.”

Danny laughed, nodding: it had been a pleasant surprise when he found out that Steve loved washing his hair, and it felt amazing too, so he had no complains.

* * *

“Fuck, Danno.” Steve panted when Danny trembled in his arms as he pushed a finger into himself.

“Yeah, that’s the plan.” He replied, his voice low and gravely, mouthing at his shoulder and rutting against his thigh.

“Smartass.” He kissed the side of his head before taking the shampoo and dumping a small quantity on his hand, Danno hated it when he put it first on his hair, for whatever reason. He massaged his scalp and scratched behind his ears, drawing a long moan from his partner and it was then that he saw Danny had two fingers inside of him, now. “Feel good?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Better than I will inside you?” 

“Nu-huh. You’re gonna feel amazing.” He pulled away slightly to tug him down for a kiss, opening his mouth for Steve to take what he wanted.

“God, you are so good for me, Danno.” He said when they pulled away, his heart still a little wild at the small confession Danny had just given him, probably without realising he had. “You ready?”

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“Okay.” He rinsed the shampoo of his hair and as soon as he was done Danny took the shower head to finish cleaning himself up. He helped him out of the shower and started drying him, something that Danny had also realised Steve liked doing.

He was such a gooey marshmallow under that hard-ass SEAL facade. 

Danny followed him to the bed, going straight for the middle, resting on his elbows.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done with moving guys! I should be done today! And I shoul get the wifi on the 18th, but I was able to edit this one on my phone, so here you go.
> 
> It's basically smut from top to bottom, so if you are not into it, you can just skip it.

“So babe, tell me something.”

“What is it?” Steve was on the bed now, staring at the blond because fucking hell, he looked beautiful: skin pink and warm, his hair fluffing up, his chest stretched with the position he was in, his legs open and inviting, his cock hard against his belly and leaking. Before long he was next to him and prompting him to roll on his stomach so he could do all the filthy things he wanted to do to him.

“How did you manage not to rip her throat, huh?” He put his hands under his head, raising his hips when Steve slid a pillow under them, pulling his cock backwards so he’d still have access to torture his willing prey. 

Steve hummed before replying, bending over to nip at Danny’s inner thighs, knowing how sensitive they were.

“With a lot of self control.” That explained the way he was acting now, then. “And because I trust you, of course. I know you’d never cheat on me.” He whispered, low, intimate. Theirs.

“Never.” He promised. “Thank you for knowing.” He mumbled, spreading his legs some more so Steve had all the access he could want.

Steve didn’t answer, he simply sucked on an egg-shaped ball, gently scraping his teeth, listening at the long moan he tore from his lover. He kept sucking, running his tongue around them and pulling at the skin. He could hear how Danny’s fingers scrapped against the sheets, probably trying to take a hold of them, he could feel the muscles on his legs and thighs twitch every time he ran his hands along them.

After a few more licks he pulled away and took a hold of his cock, pumping him, slowly, loving the way he arched his back, how the muscles moved and flexed. He never had a thing for muscly people before and he usually went the other way around, actually, but as with almost everything, Danny had been the exception. He could still remember the first time he saw him without a shirt: it had been back at the beginning, they were investigating the death of a known drug supplier in the island whose drugs had left a trail of dead people behind him. They had gone to see the victim’s girlfriend who, seeing they were cops, had hid in the bathroom and basically showered Danny from head to toe when Danny moved the curtain.

He had laughed at him when he saw him dripping wet, mostly because he hadn’t wanted to think about how Danny’s stupid button up and stupid tie were clinging to him like a second skin, even more so than usual, or how his hair was starting to curl under the crazy Hawaiian heat.

And he had always known Danny was fit, and strong (he could still recall the sharp pain on his jaw) but he had not been expecting the mass of muscle those shirts had been hiding. And boy had he been glad that Danny hadn’t been facing him then, because he had been unable to look away, the way they bunched and relaxed as he got undressed and dressed again… He was just glad Danny had some decency (although he was sure it had something more to do with their terrified girlfriend than it did with him) and had gone to the bathroom to change his pants for a pair of jeans.

Ever since that day he had looked for excuses to touch Danny, and he had been expecting a fight about it, but Danny had… let him. Arm around his shoulders? Arm around his waist. Hand around his bicep? Hand wrapped around his forearm. Arm around his neck, hanging to his chest? Hand in his back pocket. And if he drummed his fingers against a solid, furry pec? Squeeze to his ass.

He was brought back to reality when Danny whined and tried to fuck his hand but in the position he was in the best he could do was wiggle a bit. Unable to resist those sounds he pushed up and kissed him on the lips the best he could as he swirled sticky fingers around his head, making Danno moan and pant against his mouth.

“Can I eat you?” He questioned, looking into blue orbs filled with lust.

“Yeah. Yeah.” He was breathless and it came out as a whine, but Danny didn't care. He wanted to give Steve everything the man desired, or needed, and if he also got physical pleasure out of it, aside from the emotional fulfilment he felt every time he was able to do something for his lover? Double win for him.

Danby twisted around, raising his head and asking for a kiss, knowing Steve would understand even without words, he always did.  _ They _ always did. And he did as he gave him a loving smile and kissed him, devouring him and not even giving Danny the chance to put up a fight, drawing another whimper from him before he slid away, settling between his legs and removing his hand from his cock. He licked a drop of precum that had gathered on Danny’s cock before it fell on the mattress. He brought his hands up, kneading the blond’s ass and he needed to know how he had an ass like that when he had never seen him do any sort of exercise for it, most if Danny's exercise came from either boxing or running. 

“Steve…” He wiggled under him, trying to get more contact with his lover.

“Shh…” He nipped at his inner thigh and pulled away, raising to his knees as he spread his ass, Danno whining again when he did nothing. Or maybe it was from embarrassment. Or both. “Danno, give me your hands.” He urged and Danny did as told, bringing his arms downwards. Kissing each palm he made him grab his own ass, keeping himself spread for him.

“S-Steve?” The blond craned his head back to look at his lover, aware that he was blushing.

Steve watched how the colour spread onto his cheeks, his cock bobbing at the sight. “Fuck. You are so beautiful, Danny.” He praised as he thumbed the tight ring of muscles, smirking at the sharp breath Danny took. “This ok?” He wrapped his free hand around Danny’s left, squeezing as he lowered himself and licked around the rim, relishing on the chocked moan he got in response.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just… new.”

He arched an eyebrow at those words. “New?”

“Yeah. It’s the first time someone… Fuck.” He never finished the sentence, too distracted by the tongue and hands assault. “Hey…” He drawled when Steve pulled away. “Why’d you stop?” He looked behind him, staring at Stebe who was, in turn, staring at him as if he had grown another head.

“No, I’m sorry, just-just a second. Are you telling me I’m the first person to eat you out?” He questioned in disbelief.

“Y-yes?”

“With this ass? How?” He squeezed his left cheek, eyes staring at Danny because it was unfathomable that no one had ever wanted to do it before, just… how was it possible? “What is wrong with people?” He muttered before he resumed his previous position.

He needed to show Danny what others had failed to give him. If you asked him, Danno deserved everything good in the world, and that included all the pleasure. Especially if it gave him some too and hearing Danny’s broken moans was amazing.

Steve worked his tongue inside of him, grinning when Danny tensed and immediately relaxed, whimpering with every stroke of his tongue and his fingers toying with Danno’s cock.

“Ste-Steve…”

He didn’t reply, not even hum, too engrossed on making Danny a moaning mess under him, and judging by how he was rocking back into his tongue, he knew he was succeeding. 

Maybe a little too much, because his whole hand was sticky with copious amounts of precum.

Without warning he pushed two fingers of that same hand inside, knowing he could easily take them and descended to lap at his sack.

“FUCK! Little warning next time!” He said, but even then he was fucking himself on his hand as best as he could. “God, feels so good ba-babe.”

“I can see that.” He chuckled before he pulled away. “Roll onto your back baby, I wanna see you. I’m going to go wash my mouth.”

Danny huffed, impatient, but did as told, keeping one pillow underneath his hips, throwing the other away, not caring about where it landed and grabbing another one, a clean one, to put under his head. Without much thought he brought a hand down to his cock, and he bit down a moan, surprised at how wet he was: he could not remember a time where he had even half that desperate to get fucked. He started to roll one of his nipples with his free hand, arching into his own touch.

“Fuck, babe…”

Steve looked back to the bed and he almost dropped the foamy toothpaste in his mouth when he saw Danny touching himself. Fuck, that was hot. He spit the minty substance, rinsed his mouth and hurried back to his lover, basically pouncing on him. 

“Hmm… Took you long enough!” He wrapped his clean hand around his neck and kissed him hard and fast, groaning into the kiss.

“Fuck, Danny, the things you do to me…” Steve said, shifting to bite at his neck and shoulders, even if he wasn’t leaving any visible markings behind, always respectful of Danny’s wishes to not be marked that way, because of his children and his “professionalism”. 

“Yeah? What about what you do to me?” He snapped his hips up, rubbing his cock against Steve’s stomach. “Fuck me, please. Need it so bad babe.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” He smirked at him before he clamped his teeth on his pec, sucking hard because chest and stomach were fair game as he shoved two fingers inside of him again, scissoring him a few times before he pushed in a third finger, starting to finger fuck him almost immediately, his thumb firmly pressed on his perineum.

“Holy shit.” He arched into him, his head thrown back and his fingers digging into his shoulder blades. “Steve, please, please.” 

“I love it when you beg.” He mumbled before sucking on a nipple. “When’s the last time you got fucked? You are gagging for it.” He said.

“Wha-what?”

He pulled away, stilling his hand, but not his fingers, as he wiggled them inside his lover, loving the way his eyes rolled back when he found his prostate. 

“When is the last time you got fucked?” He repeated, pushing his fingers against his sweet spot again.

And he held them there.

“No, no, Steve, please, I’m gonna cum, I’mgonnacum…” He cried, scrambling to pull away from the assault. “Not yet, Steve, not yet, pleasepleaseplease.” He tried to push at his hand but the change in position made the fingers go deeper and before he knew it, he was coming, his eyes rolling back and a long moan coming off his lips, white spurts coating his lower stomach. “No…” He moaned quietly.

“Wow.” Steve said, breathless, but he had not been expecting that. “Holy fuck, Danno, that was so hot.” He stilled his fingers, pulling them away a bit, but still left them inside his lover as he moved to kiss him, finding him completely relaxed and pliant under him.

“It’s your fault...” He drawled, glaring at him. “Made me cum like a teenager…”

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. “But you liked it.” He whispered into his ear. “Clearly, too.” He swirled his finger on the cooling cum.

“Shut up.” Danny harrumphed before he wrapped his legs around his waist. “Still want you to fuck me.”

Steve swallowed when he heard those words, he wanted nothing more than to sink into his partner, but he hadn’t wanted to presume: not everyone was into getting fucked once they had come and he was not going to be that guy.

“Yeah?”

“Fuck yeah.” He opened his legs even more. “C’mon babe.”

With one last kiss he pulled his fingers away, sighing when Danny turned his head away, breaking the kiss with a soft moan.

“You sure?” He asked, concerned: the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his partner, his mate.

“Yeah, babe. I’m good, promise.”

Steve nodded and slowly pushed into Danny, a long moan working its way out of him, from his very chore. Once he was completely sheathed inside his lover he looked down at him, smiling at the panting and flushed man under him.

Danny smiled at him, wrapping his hands around his wrists. “Move, babe. I’m good.”

Steve shook his head. “No, I need… I’ll come in seconds if I move.”

The blond rolled his eyes and let go of one arm to bring him down. “So come, I don’t care how long you last, I just want to make you feel good.” He whispered before laying a single kiss on his lips. “Take what you need, babe. I’m offering it.”

Steve smiled at him: how did he get such an amazing partner? What did he do to deserve him and his love? He dropped a kiss on his shoulder and rose to his hands again, Danny’s hands still around his wrists.

He still moved carefully, wanting to see Danny when he was getting fucked, when he was getting hard and falling back into lust, how his eyes darkened and his mouth fell open, because it was a sight to behold.

“Faster Steve…” He moaned, arching his back, as if he needed to look any more enticing to him. “Fuck me like you mean it. Make me feel it tomorrow.”

Steve growled at those words and did as told, increasing his tempo and being rewarded by a whining Danny desperately tugging on his cock.

He wasn’t going to last long, he could feel the tight ball of pleasure curling on his lower stomach and he couldn’t push it back: having seen Danny come from his fingers had been too much for him and it had been a near thing that he didn’t fuck his own hand while Danny lay there, panting and with wild eyes.

“I-I’m gonna come Danno…” He said, closing his eyes and tilting his head backwards.

“Hey, hey, look at me, look at me, I wanna see you come. I wanna see you come inside of me.” He said, tugging at his elbow.

Steve whined at those words, his rhythm faltering and then everything was hot white pleasure running through him, making his vision blur for a few seconds before his eyes cleared and zeroed on Danny’s face, contorted in pleasure as he kept stroking his cock. He went to pull away, but before he could even start Danny wrapped his legs around him again, keeping him in place.

“No, please, stay.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you want Danno.” He said, his free hand stroking Danny’s balls with his fingertips, lips twitching when Danny moaned higher.

“You looked… so hot, fucking me.” He breathed. “You really fucked me good, I-I won’t..., oh fuck! Do that again!” Steve chuckled and pressed down on his perineum, watching him shake.

It was then that he remembered what he had asked him before.

“You know Danno, you never answered my question.” 

“H-huh?” He was getting close again, he could tell.

“When’s the last time you got fucked?” He didn’t seem to acknowledge the question, so he stopped stroking him for a moment.

Danny whined when he stopped and opened his blue eyes to look at him. “When-when you… When you wanted to propose to Cath. Couldn’t… Was jealous. Wanted you… out of my mind for a night.” He confessed through gritted teeth, but his gaze never wavered, always pinned on Steve’s own blue eyes.

Steve swallowed at that: it wasn’t the answer he had expected, so as an apology for making him tell, for making him go out and find someone else that night, for hurting him he sat back on his ass, pulling Danny with him, on his lap and wrapped a hand around Danny’s cock, replacing him and one around his back, holding him close.

“I love you, Danno.” He whispered in his ears, hearing Danny’s breath hitch for a second before it became a moan. “More than anything in the world. More than Cath. More than any other person in the world.”

“Ste-Steve, please!” He could feel blunt nails digging on his back.

“Yeah baby, cum for me. You deserve it.”

And that did it, because Danny went taut in his arms and he bit down on his shoulder to muffle what would have been a scream.

* * *

Once they were clean Danny made himself at home on Steve's chest, one arm thrown over his waist and kissing his scar.

“That was amazing babe.” He said, softly. 

Steve snickered above him. “I mean, you came twice, so I’d think so.” He buried his hand on the blond hair scratching the scalp lightly. “About Cath…”

“It’s all good babe. You don’t have to justify anything.”

“But why didn’t you say anything?”

Danny sighed, knowing Steve was not about to drop it and he’d rather be done with it.

“Because you were so happy about it, so... enthusiastic. And I was scared that if I confessed I’d lose you, and that’s the last thing I ever want to happen.” He explained, shrugging. “But it’s all good, we are here, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but…”

“Steve, seriously, it’s not your fault. You didn’t even know, how could it have been your fault?” He rolled onto his side, staring at him. “Not. Your. Fault. Capisce?”

“Yeah.” He still felt bad about it, but he could see Danny’s point. He decided a change of topic was in order. “Hey, were you serious when you said no one rimmed you before?”

“Yeah? Why would I lie about that?” He lowered himself again on his chest. “Is it really that weird?”

“Hell yeah. I mean, you’ve got a great ass, Danno. A really, great great ass.” He squeezed it, hard, with both hands, making Danny laugh.

“Why thank you. Besides, I don’t know why it bothers you so much, that means you are the first one and with how possessive you are, that’s gotta count for something, right?”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Uh, yes, yes you are. A complete Neanderthal who likes knowing I’m his.” He couldn’t even take offence to those words, not when they were said with that soft teasing edge Danny always had with him. And they weren’t completely off the mark, either.

“But that’s because I looove you.” He replied, squeezing him harder against him.

Danny snorted at that, pulling up to shake his head at him. “You are a dork. But I love you too.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Danny snorted at that, pulling up to shake his head at him. “You are a dork. But I love you too.”**

Three months later someone took Danny and Tani and they didn’t even know by who or why but Lou knew one thing for sure: those motherfuckers were either very crazy or very stupid, because you did not snatch a SEAL’s partner and think that they would abide by your crazy demands. 

He was partially leaning towards the stupid, because Tani was new-ish, she didn’t have crazy stories on her back, but Danny did, and they all knew about them. The craziest ones were public domain.

The whole island knew about how he brought down a meth ring because they almost killed his partner. Not even 10 months ago he stormed into a ship full of enemies on his own (Steve had given him so much shit about not having back-up) because he needed to get back to Steve and brought down at least 10 to 15 guys on his way. Junior had mentioned that less than half of those guys had been shot twice and at first he hadn’t believed it, not until he saw the ME’s report and ballistics had matched those wounds to Danny’s service weapons. He could still remember when they arrived at that pool room, weapons at the ready only to find those two fuckers sitting side by side, Steve leaning towards Danny’s natural heat, bickering like they hadn’t killed a bunch of people minutes before.

And he was the saner one in the relationship, the one that pulled himself and his partner back before crossing a line, who followed procedure (or tried to, at least) but if you hurt his partner, or used him as leverage against his partner all of that went off the window.

Adam and him spent the day chasing their two SEAL’s around the island and had to physically remove Steve from one of the guys before he did something that he would regret later.

It was nearing 9pm when Junior’s phone rang.

“If you want to see them alive again I suggest you start calling people, Commander, instead of chasing us. You’ve got three hours to give us those codes. We’ll be…” He trailed off and then they all heard an ear-splitting, gut-wrenching painful scream. “Ey! Qué coño está pasando?” None of them knew what that meant, their Spanish-speaking person being taken, but clearly something was going wrong.

The four of them waited, holding their breaths.

They could hear the guy walking, seemingly having forgotten about the call and Lou hoped he didn’t suddenly remember, because they were so close to having a location, so close. A heavy door opened, something happened and the phone clattered away before he screamed for three seconds and then silence.

Location locked.

Heavy breathing. Too heavy to be human.

Lou could see how Steve’s knuckles whitened as his hold on the table increased.

One single soft woof.

“Danno?”

Another woof. 

They all sighed in relief and in the next few seconds they were all geared up and going to them. 

“W-where’s Tani?” Junior asked, anxious, following McGarrett to the car.

A small whining sound.

“You ok?” Steve asked and it was another woof. “Ok, do you think you can find Tani?” Woof. “Thank God. We are coming, Danno. Keep the phone going.”

When they finally,  _ finally,  _ got there, forty long distressing, minutes later they didn't even have time to gear up or even come by a plan of attack when they saw Tani sitting on the steps of the house, trembling and clutching a gun. Danny was nowhere in sight and Steve's stomach dropped at that realisation.

The cars came to a screeching halt and they all piled out of the car, rushing towards her, Steve beating everyone, his brain only thinking of making sure she was fine and  _ to immediately go look for Danno, I must find Danno, DannoDannoDanno. _

“Tani.” Steve knelt next to her, giving her a quick glance over: she was shook, but seemed overall unharmed. He gently pried the weapon out of her hands. “Are you ok?” She nodded. “Junior, stay here with her and call the EMTs to hurry up. Adam, call the Shifter Unit, and Lou, please call HPD, I’m going to look for Danny.”

Before anyone could object to the plan, he was already inside, his world tilting in relief when he saw Danny inside, in the first room he checked and finding him dripping blood from his back but his stance was still tense, his impressive teeth bared and ready to jump at the first wrong twitch from the guy he had cornered and who smelled like had pissed himself. Without a word he came down to his knees, crouching down next to his partner and setting a hand on his head. “Hey, I’ve got it.” He tied the perp both on legs and arms and dragged him outside, handing him to Lou, who read him his Miranda rights before handing him to a uniform with the explicit order to bring him down to rendition and keep him there, handcuffed and without a change of clothes.

As soon as he was done, he turned around and into the house and knelt again, opening his arms, not caring that Danny was covered in blood from top to bottom. Danny walked to him, sagging against him immediately. He held him there, close, wrapping an arm around his head, avoiding his back but needing to feel the warmth seeping out of Danny. “Fuck, Danno. I was… I didn’t… I was so afraid, Danny.” Danny whined softly before nuzzling his neck. “SU is here, let’s go get you a bath so the EMTs can check you, ok? And your go bag is in the truck.” 

Danny nodded as he pulled away and headed to them, leaving Steve and the team to deal with CSU, Duke and the EMTs around Tani.

SU set on the sprinkles to wash him since it was obvious that with the open wounds on his back he could not be hosed down without causing him further pain, which he appreciated because being covered in caked blood, fresh blood, in pain, hungry and thirsty was not a combination he agreed with. Once most of the blood was out of his fur they gently cleaned him before rinsing him off again, they dried him with a towel, all of them aware that with his injuries he could not do it himself dog style.

He then headed to the Silverado and got dressed, meaning he put on underwear and limped to the ambulances and sat himself on the free gurney and waited. 

They treated his injuries with quick fingers and talked to him, knowing it was better to keep him engaged than to let him stew on his own thoughts.

“Ok, Detective, that’s quite an impressive array of stuff you’ve gotten today: one sprained wrist, you’ll have to keep off your knee for a couple of days and that bullet graze needs to be taken care of everyday, as you know. Your ribs are fine, but they’ll be tender for a while. And then you’ll have to sleep on your side or on your stomach if the bruises don’t bother you too much, or the lashes on your back might re-open. And you should clean them again before going to bed. And I want you to visit your PD next week. And no exercise for two weeks.”

“Yeah, thanks Kai.”

“Do you need me to call Commander McGarrett?”

“No, don’t worry.”

With a soft pat on the shoulder the man left him and he slipped into his pants, forgoing the shirt because it hurt too much, and waddled to the team.

“Danny!” Before he could react he had Steve kissing the living hell out of him, hands resting on his sides. He clutched the man’s shirt with his good hand, needing him close.

He could feel the desperation and relief seeping out of Steve and he wanted to erase it all, to comfort his lover, people around them be damned.

“Danno.” Steve sighed, holding his face to look at him, his face darkening when he saw all the purpling bruises on his torso and the gashes around his arm and the gauze covering virtually all of his back. “I’m going to kill him.”

“He’s already dead.” He replied, taking a hold of his hand and interlacing his fingers, a silent plea to not be left alone.

“Good.” Lou said before gathering him in a gentle hug, not caring that Steve wasn’t letting go of his hand. “You and I need to talk brother.”

“Yeah? What about?”

“You gotta teach a man how to keep two SEALs in line.” He said, shaking his head. 

“I’ll give you some pointers. The trick is letting them know there will be hell to pay if they step over the line.” Danny told him and smiled at Steve when he pressed in closer, rolling his eyes at him before kissing the side of his head, muttering something that resembled a ‘you really think so, huh?’ as he kept his lips pressed against him.

And wasn’t that a surprising image: everyone knew those two liked to touch each other, they always seemed to have one hand, one shoulder, one leg in contact, since the very beginning according to the cousins, but this was the first time that he saw them being genuinely soft and loving with each other. 

“It’s good to have you back, you two worried us today.” He ended up saying, patting them both on the shoulder. “I am going to call home.”

Next one was Adam. “I am so glad you are okay, Danny. You really had us worried.” He said, fingers twitching against his side. “Kono said she wants you to call her tomorrow.”

“You called Kono?” He looked at him and then Steve and Adam, because he was wise, walked away. “What did you do?”

“Not me! They made a public announcement. I made everyone go to Rachel’s and put two SWAT teams there for protection.” Steve explained. “Kono got wind of it through Chin who is also expecting a call, by the way. And I told your sisters. And… your dad.”

He let go of his hand at that, glaring at him. “You told him? What the fuck for?”

Steve shrunk, looking away. “I wasn’t going to but… he’s still your dad. And I thought he had to hear it from me, not from your sisters or Eric or some one else. It didn’t feel right. I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to talk to him, but...”

Danny sagged, and nodded, understanding: Steve had so many regrets concerning John and he didn’t want Danny to have them, too. “I get your point, but I’m still not talking to him. I’ll send him a text, ok?” Steve nodded. “Thank you.” He added, grumbling.

Steve didn’t say anything, he simply kissed him on the forehead before taking his hand again and going to the ambulance where Tani was, wrapped in a golden blanket.

Before they could even say anything, Junior was already there, engulfing Danny in a hug, trembling. This time Steve did let go of him, moving next to Tani and sitting next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder when she slumped against him.

Steve had come such a long way from the man he had met nearly a decade ago.

“Hey, you okay pup?” Danny questioned, wrapping his arms around the younger SEAL and running one hand up and down over his back, feeling him tremble.

“Yeah. I just… I was so scared I wouldn’t see you again.” He confessed. “When you didn’t come in this morning, we didn’t know why because you are almost never late and then Tani didn’t come either and that’s when they called us and they wouldn’t let us talk to you or anything and…”

“Hey, hey, I’m not that easy to get rid of, ok?” He squeezed him tighter, ignoring how his injuries pulled, but god, he never would have guessed that Junior would be this affected for him, too. “We are fine, ok?”

“You have a very strange definition of fine.” He mumbled, taking in the amount of gauze all over him. “Tani said you didn’t let them touch her, that you kept provoking them so… so… And then she said they took away and there were water sounds…” They didn’t see Steve suddenly look at them, frown deepening.

“I’m  _ fine _ .” He stressed. “I’d never let anything harm you kids.” He said, squeezing the back of his head. “Is she ok?”

“Yeah. Shook, but unharmed.” Junior nodded, turning his head around to look at his partner, who was still clutching her shock blanket and staring at them, eyes huge and lost in fear and exhaustion.

“Good. Go back to her, c’mon.”

Junior gave him a weird glance, but did as told knowing that something was going on in there, but also knowing he was not going to be told about it anyways, so he made his way back to the cat-shifter and as soon as he was sitting on her other side, Steve was next to Danny again.

“They water-boarded you?” He demanded to know, cradling his face, but Danny knew it was a way to make sure he couldn’t avoid eye.contact. “Danny, your lungs, you can’t...”

“They didn’t.”

“We have to go to the Hospital, make sure…” He was looking around, trying to flag down the EMTs.

Danny grabbed his face with his good hand, forcing eye contact. “Listen to me, they. Didn’t. They were going to, but they were sloppy, left me alone with one guy, unrestrained, while the other went to get water and I attacked at that moment. I’m fine.”

Steve still looked anxious, so the blond tugged him down, pressing a kiss on his lips. “I’m fine. I promise. You know I wouldn’t lie to you about this.” 

“Yes, I know. I’m sorry. I just…”

“Hey, hey, I get it, Steve. Of course I get it. It doesn’t get any easier, unfortunately.” He inched closer, wrapping his arms around his waist to anchor both of them. “Let’s go home, please? And I’m gonna need your phone, because they broke mine.”

“Of course. Hey, wait, what about Tani, you don’t wanna see her?” Danny squirmed in his hold, the bad kind of squirming, the one that said that you were nervous about something. “Baby? What is it?”

“Let’s talk about it at home, ok? Not here. Let’s go home. Gimme your phone.”

“What? No, wait. Danny, c’mon.”

“At home, Steve. Please. Please.”

Steve stopped dead on his words, whatever it was that was going through his lover's pretty, yet neurotic head was enough to make him anxious and the last thing Danny needed right now was an anxiety attack after his nervous system had already been overshot with adrenaline the whole day, so he simply nodded and walked him to the Silverado.

“Here, baby, call everyone, I’m going to make sure everything is good so we can all go home. We’ll take the rest of the week off, I already told the Governor.”

“Ok. Thank you.” 

The first person he called was his Ma, who then gave the phone to Gracie, then Charlie and finally, Rachel. She said that the kids would go to his house tomorrow, that they could stay with them the whole Saturday, if he wanted. Then his sisters who, despite being in the middle of the night in New Jersey, still picked up at the first ring.

He called Kono next, and before he could stop her, she said she had already booked a flight back home so in hopes of talking out of it he called Chin next, only to be told exactly the same.

He was just pressing send to his dad when Steve finally came back.

“Everyone ok?”

“Yeah. Kids will come by after school and Rachel said they can stay with us on Saturday. And Chin and Kono are coming for a visit.” Except they both had said ‘coming back home’ in a way that it didn’t sound like they would be leaving again, but he didn’t want to give Steve false hopes, so he kept that part a secret. “And Ma said she’ll be staying at Rachel’s tonight.”

“Ok. Then do you wanna go to yours or mine?”

“Mine? Can’t deal with all the stairs right now.” 

“Of course, baby.” He looked at him, and Danny’s breath caught in his throat when he saw Steve all the emotions trapped in his lover’s eyes.

“Oh babe…” He cradled his face, tugging him gently until he could kiss him, gently. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of this.”

And Steve crumbled at those words and moved to hug him, pushing his nose against his neck, breathing his scent deeply, to ground himself, to make sure Danno was really there with him. “I thought I had lost you Danny. I didn’t know what to do when they called us and showed us what they were doing to you. I love you so much, Danno. I can’t live without you.” He couldn’t stop his mouth, he needed to tell Danny how afraid he had been when he realised what was going and that they might kill him. Him and Tani, but then they had demanded an exchange, so he knew they had time, limited, yes, but time.

“Shh, shh… I’m here, aren’t I? You’ve got me. I’m fine. Let’s go home, babe. I love you too. Seeing you and the kids again was what gave me strength.” He peppered his face with kisses, finishing at his mouth.

“I’m sorry I’ve put you through this so many times.” He said, pushing his head against his shoulder again. “How did you do it? I almost went crazy and you…”

“Because we have an amazing team, babe. We have an amazing ohana that knows better than to argue with me when you are in danger. That knows better than to argue with you when I am in danger.” He kissed him on the head but Steve didn’t let go, if anything his hold tightened. “What do you need, love?”

Steve let out a slow, shuddering breath at those words: of course Danny knew. “To take care of you.”

Danny shivered at the thought of Steve taking care of him, of making sure they were safe in their houses and that Danny was as comfortable as he could be, he was used to being the person in that role, and it felt amazing that someone, that Steve wanted to do that for him. Not that it surprised him, not really. Steve usually had a very tight leash on his most possessive animal traits, just like he did, but situations like this where their pack mate was in danger always brought them out, intensifying them until the point they were almost stifling and needed to be met, no other option possible. “Let’s go home, then.”

Steve nodded, turning the engine on and keeping a hand on Danny’s knee all the time, still needing the reassurance that he was really there, alive and breathing. 

Hurt, but so, so alive and back to his side, where he belonged, together with Clara and the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm a few hours earlier than usual, but I plan on making chili con carne and eggplant curry tomorrow and they both take hours on the stove, so I wasn't sure I could have updated in time.
> 
> Also, I feel terrible for always making Danny get hurt.


	20. Chapter 20

When they finally got home Steve helped him out of the car and kept a very tight arm around his waist, easing him onto a chair, gently tipping his head back so he could see him.

“I’ll go get you something comfy to wear and we can ice your knee, alright?”

“Thank you, babe.” He smiled at him, and he got a kiss on the forehead in response.

Steve helped him out and in of his clothes, put his bad knee high with another chair and wrapped the ice bag around it and then dragged another chair next to him so he could sit down too, one arm stretched on the back of the chair but without touching him, not wanting to cause his lover any more pain, and without a word or prompt, Danny fell into his arms, shaking, silent tears running down his cheeks, the shock and tension of the day coming out at once as soon as he knew he was safe.

“God, baby...”

He didn’t say anything else because there was nothing he could say that Danny didn’t know, that he was safe, that it was all over, and he would never lie to him and tell him it would never happen again just to make him feel better, that was not how their relationship worked. So he just let Danny work it out of his system, cradling his head close, dropping kisses on the blond locks and his temples. Neither of them could say how long they stayed there, but when Danny pulled away he looked exhausted, however, Steve couldn’t let him go to sleep yet.

“You need to eat something. What do you want?”

“Not hungry.”

“I know, Danno, but you haven’t had anything since breakfast, and your breakfast is coffee and an apple. Please, Danno.”

Bastard, he knew he couldn’t resist him when he pleaded like that. “Rice?”

“Ok.” He dried his cheeks with his sleeve and kissed him softly, lovingly. “Do you want to come with me to the kitchen or are you good here?”

Danny frowned at the thought of being left alone: he hated it at that moment, the last thing he wanted was to be alone and think about everything that happened today and watching Steve was always one of his favourite ways to distract himself.

“Kitchen.” Steve smiled at him like he had already known the answer. 

He probably did.

Danny used Steve as a crutch to get there, not that the man seemed to care too much.

“Hey, where’s your cane? You should probably be using it.”

“It’s in our room, I’ll start using it tomorrow.” He sat down on a stool and watched him get a pot out. “And we’ll have to go to the pharmacy to get the drugs.”

“ _ You _ are not doing anything tomorrow aside from being with your mum and the kids when they come by. I’ve already talked with Adam, he’ll bring them in. The drugs and Clara, I mean.” He replied, walking behind him and kissing his shoulder, keeping silent for a couple of minutes, just basking on the fact that he had him in his arms before he spoke again. “Danno?”

“Hm?”

“What was that about Tani?” He asked, gently wrapping his arms around him, holding his own wrist as a lock but without putting any pressure on his back.

“Babe.” He went rigid in his arms again.

“Please Danny. You seemed… sad.” He kissed him again, nuzzling behind his ear. “Please baby, what is it?”

Danny shrugged, wrapping his hands around Steve’s to ground himself. “She saw me, Steve. She saw me tear a guy’s throat.” He felt tears welling up again in his eyes, and before he could do anything, they were spilling down his face. “She looked terrified. She wasn’t… She didn’t kno-ow what I can really do. I didn’t want her to know. I didn’t want any of you to know and no-now she’s scared of me and-and…” He was gulping for air and trying to talk at the same time. “Sh-she’s gonna le-leave because of m-me.”

“What? Danny, no. Tani loves you, you are like her… her work dad.” He cut him off, rounding and sitting in front of him, taking his face in his hands, thumbing the tears away: he hated to see those gorgeous clear blue eyes swimming in pain and self-hatred. “She was in shock, Danny. That’s the first time, and hopefully the last, that she’s been kidnapped, of course she was afraid. And when they took you away she was alone with that guy.”

“But…”

“It doesn’t matter how much training she has, how long she’s been in this job, everyone gets scared when their lives are in someone else’s hands.” He forced eye contact. “How many times have you been taken? Ambushed?”

“A few.”

“Yeah. The only times I can remember her being in that situation is when we met. The burning house. And the boat.” Danny nodded. “And we were with her, she knew she wasn’t going out alone. But when they took you away she was suddenly alone and there was nothing she could do, not with the anti-shifting cuffs on her.” He pressed another kiss on his forehead, resting his lips there for a few seconds. “Do you know what I hate the most about this thing?”

“That I got hurt?” Danny croaked, because that was what he hated the most when someone took Steve away from him.

“Aside from that? It’s that they forced you to do things you hate doing, they forced you to cross a line I know you hate crossing.”

“What? No, no, they didn’t... I snapped and… You’ve seen the bodies, how can you be here?” How could Steve stand to even look at him and not feel repulsed?

Steve shook his head and looked at him, a strange look on his eyes. “There is no way you snapped. No way. Do you really think I don’t know how much control you have over your shift? Danny, you beat a guy who was withholding information from us and there was no trace of you having shifted, there were no bites or scratches on him and that was when you were fighting with Rachel over everything. If you had snapped today you wouldn’t have left one of them alive for us to interrogate, you wouldn’t have been able to answer me over the phone, you wouldn’t have trusted Tani to have a gun.

<<I used to think you always held back because you are an angry person and because you knew how much damage you could do, but I know better now. Danny, I know you hate having to attack people in your shift form because it makes people think all the stories about APBT and Presa’s are true, and I also know you would not have done it if there was any other way. And I know that because I know you, and there is no person in this world that I trust more. I have never met a better cop than you.”

Danny was crying again, but this time there were full body sobs working their way through him. And Steve stood up, holding him close and kissing his head.

“You are alright Danno, you’ve done nothing wrong. You did good, you did good.” He muttered, because he knew that Danny did need to be reassured now. “I love you, I love you so much.”

Once he had calmed down Steve pulled away, just enough to look at him in the eyes. “Oh, baby…” He pressed a loving kiss on his lips. “Why don’t you go to bed and I’ll bring dinner?”

“No. Don’t wanna be alone right now.” He said, fisting his shirt tighter in his hands.

“Ok, ok.” He took a paper towel and patted his face dry. “Let me go put the rice in and I’ll be right back, ok? We can go sit on the sofa.” Danny nodded, silent.

He had never seen him like this, so broken. Not even after they went to Colombia and found Matty rotting away in a barrel, and he hadn’t wanted to bring it up, but if Danny didn’t lose control back then, or when he had been sent to a Colombian prison where he had been beaten and abused there was no way he snapped today. His insides burned with hatred towards all of those who had ever hurt Danny so much that he thought people would reject him for defending himself and a co-worker.

He dumped the rice into the boiling pot, threw in a garlic clove, salt and a single bay leaf, knowing that this was how Clara made it for her children when they were sick or upset. The same way he had seen Danny make it for his own children, and for him, whenever he was hurt.

He helped Danny off the stool and basically carried him to the sofa, letting him arrange them however he wanted to feel safer, so he ended up with Danny half laying on him, facing him, with his ear over his heart and his legs tucked against the back of the sofa, one foot slipping between the cushions.

They didn’t say anything, Steve simply kept running a hand on Danny’s arm, linking their fingers every now and then, kissing them gently and Danny would answer with a weak squeeze on his side, where his other arm was.

When the timer went off he gently moved Danny and kissed his temple. “Just going to get the food. Be right back.”

When he came back Danny was sitting on the chair probably because it was easier on his back, and had set out the glasses and the spoons. He put the plates down and moved his things next to Danny. They usually sat in front of the other, but he couldn’t right now, not when he knew Danny needed him near, and when he needed him near, too.

They ate in silence and Steve had his left hand resting on Danny’s thigh, offering as much comfort as he could at that moment.

“Let’s go to bed, ok? I’ll do the dishes tomorrow morning.” He whispered.

“Ok.” They went to their room slowly, exhaustion starting to settle on Steve’s bones.

Steve helped Danny out of his pants and they moved to the bathroom, first Danny, then Steve, and finally Steve forced Danny to sit on the toilet, facing the wall as he removed the tape and gauze.

He felt tears and bile coming up at the state of his lover’s back: it was covered in long gashes and cuts, angry and bloody and he didn’t know how Danny had been able to shift and fight in that state, he knew battle-hardened SEALs who would have been unable to move normally, even less shift in that state.

He had never told him, but he always admired how… resilient and capable Danny was, for a cop. Even as a shifter. A completely torn ACL as a teenager that didn’t heal completely despite him big a shifter, yet he he passed the Academy, being beaten at least once that he knew of in New Jersey and losing his partner who he loved enough to name his daughter after yet he stayed on the job, the sarin attack, Gracie’s kidnapping, getting him out of two hostile countries, a building crashing down on them, a girlfriend’s ex coming after him, the whole bioweapon and getting shot in quarantine thing. The fucking plane crashing/landing. And he could go on with all the times he had saved him in their normal days, all the times he made him worry by being stubborn and deciding that things were going to be done his way or his way.

The one time he had feared Danny was going to do something he would not be able to come back from was when his little girl was in the Hospital without knowing if she’d wake up ever again, because if Grace hadn’t come back to them, he had no doubt that the guy would be buried somewhere in the island and he would have helped put him there. But even then, he didn’t shift.

“Steve? I can do it if it’s too much.” Danny said, breaking him of his reverie.

He shook his head and nuzzled Danno on the head. “And how are you going to do it, huh? I’m fine it’s just…” He trailed off, not knowing how to put it in words, but he knew Danny would understand what he meant. 

He filled the basin they had for treating their injuries (and how fucked up was the fact that they even had such a thing) with warm water and soap and started washing his back, apologising every time Danny hissed or flinched away.

Twenty agonizing minutes later they were done and Danny was resting on his stomach on their bed. Steve had given him an ibuprofen to spend the night.

Once Steve double and triple checked that the house was secure he slid into bed, rolling onto his side so he was facing Danny and grabbed his bad hand, cradling it close to his chest and kissing the fingers.

“I love you.” He muttered into the dark, unsure if Danny was still up or not.

“I love you, too.” Came the equally soft reply, his voice drowsy with sleep. “Give me a kiss?” He asked, tilting his head some more.

“And as many more as you want.” He slid closer and did as told, cupping his head, gently.

After a few more kisses Steve finally pulled away, but stayed where he was, within reach and having as much contact as possible, tangling his legs with Danny’s, the one part of his body that seemed to have been spared.

“I talked with the Governor, she said she doesn’t want to see you in the Palace for at least two weeks. And that I am to stay here to take care of you after tomorrow for at least 5 days.”

“Hm, why after tomorrow?” He moved closer, resting his head on his lover’s shoulder.

“Because I need to interrogate that guy. Maybe inflict some pain.”

“Please don’t. He’ll be pumped of the good stuff in the hospital so he won’t feel a thing and I don’t need the FBI after us again.” Danny mumbled, and how amazing it was that he was halfway into the land of nod but could still have a full on conversation?

“I’ll try to remember that.”

“Hm, I’ll tell Lou and Adam, then.” Steve chuckled under him. “Tani?” He then asked and really, Steve had been waiting to see how long it would take him.

“Junes is staying with her for a while. And the Governor said she was not to come in for at least a week.”

“Good. Will they be fine without us three there? There’s usually at least you or me.” He questioned, it was not that he didn’t trust their team, he did, he would put his life in all of their hands, but he also knew that one person less was already a huge gap, so two members less plus their leader staying at home too…

“I’m on call, so if there is something major going on I will be there, but you don’t worry about this, ok? You just rest and get better.”

“Okay, sounds like a good plan.”

“Of course it is. It’s mine.” He teased, kissing him on the head again. “You scared the shit out of me, Danno.”

Danny nodded. “I’m fine though. I’m here.”

“Yeah.” Steve breathed out. “Yeah, you are.” Because if he wasn’t, he wasn’t sure what he would have done, but it would not have been pretty, that was for sure. “Now sleep, you are exhausted.”

Danny hummed and, for once, obeyed, closing his eyes and falling asleep in seconds, adorable little snores filling the room.

Steve took a while longer, his head replying seeing Danny’s back on a loop, the way he had broken down about Tani and now he wanted to hunt down every single person who made Danny so scared (still so scared, after almost half a year of telling them) of his shift and make them hurt.

Danny mumbled something on his sleep, pressing harder against Steve’s side, effectively stopping the murdering thoughts. 

Maybe another day, now he had to sleep to take care of his lover to the best of his abilities.


	21. Chapter 21

“Will you be okay?” Steve questioned, crouching next to his boyfriend, running a hand through his blond hair.

“I’m just going to sleep babe, don’t worry. He smiled at him before closing his eyes, a small sigh escaping his lips. “Go scare the asshole that did this to me. I’ll even let you kick him once on the shin for me.”

“So generous today.” He pressed a kiss on the side of his head. “You’ve got more painkillers and water on the nightstand. Your phone, too, and you call me if you need me, alright?”

“Mh-hm. I love you.”

“I love you too, babe. Adam will drop Clara in a couple of hours, ok?” He received a weak nod in response. “Rest. I’ll see you later. Do you want me to bring you something?”

“Peppermint patties?”

The ex-SEAL man chuckled. “You’ve got it.” With one last kiss he rose to his feet and walked out of the room gently closing the door, making sure every single door and window were locked before heading outside and to the Palace.

* * *

Hitting him on the shin. Silly Danny. A kick to the shin would be the lightest of things that happened to that asshole. He strode into the Palace and once he saw that everyone that Lou and Adam were in their respective offices and silently apologising to them, he locked them in and strode down to rendition: the last thing he wanted was to cause his friends problems, he’d already get chewed up enough when Danny got wind of it.

“Good morning.” He said, opening the door and shutting it close from the inside because he knew Adam would find a way to open their offices as soon as he realised they were locked in. “I hope you had a good night, because you are going to be in so much pain that you’ll wish you were in the state you are right now.”

“You are cop, you can’t do that.” The perp replied, smirking at him, his accent heavy.

They really didn’t do their homework.

“I’m not the cop. My partner is the cop and he was your only hope of not ending in the hospital, but you touched him, you touched _my_ partner.” He growled before hitting him on the stomach. “I’m going to hurt you as much as you hurt him. And then some.”

Without a word he undid the cuff securing the man to the chair, but before he had time to react Steve punched him across the face, effectively knocking him to the floor.

* * *

He could not say how long he had stayed there, hitting and kicking the guy to inflict as much damage as possible, bones breaking every time, blood droplets painting the walls and the floors and the only sounds were flesh hitting flesh in the least pleasurable way imaginable and painful begging and whimper of the sole survivor of those who had dared to put his hands on Danno. He only stopped when the door flung open and both Lou and Adam dragged him outside, his chest heaving.

“Have you lost your damn mind?” Lou exploded, stepping in front of the door. 

“He deserved it.” He spat, glaring at him: daring him to say he didn’t.

“I know! But you can’t go in there and beat him to a pulp! How are we going to justify that, Steve?”

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “ _You_ are not going to do anything about it. This is mine to deal with, there’s a reason I locked you upstairs.”

“And you think that makes it any better? That this makes you any better than…”

Before either of the two men could react, Steve pushed Lou against the wall, growling at him. “He tortured _my_ mate!” He yelled. “It’s _my_ mate who’s at home in pain and bleeding, not yours, not his wife, mine.”

Lou nodded, suddenly understanding: both Steve and Danny were the two in the whole team more attuned with their animals sides since they shifted almost everyday at some point or another and while that gave them a greater balance between their two sides, never getting really itchy to shift, it also had the drawback of their instincts being closer to the surface, especially when something happened to their counterparts.

He didn’t shift much: he had lost his tail almost twenty ago and never got his balance back so sometimes he would shift at home with the kids and Renee, but it was rare for him. He knew Tani shifted only during the colder days because being a Maine Coon did not go well with being in Hawaii. He knew Junior shifted twice a week, but he didn’t like his shift because it reminded him of his sister too much. As for Adam, he didn’t know how much or how little he shifted.

But yeah, Steve’s instincts were resurfacing right now and there wasn’t much they could do if he stayed in the Palace.

“Then go home, Steve. Go home and take care of him like you really want to and let us deal with him.” Adam said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I promise he is not going anywhere.”

“No.”

“Steve, go back to Danny.” Lou said, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck. “Hurting this scumbag won’t make Danny feel any better. But having his mate by his side will, so listen to us and go home, be by his side and take care of him.”

He didn’t want to. He knew, deep down, that they were right, but he wanted to make him pay for what he had done to his beautiful mate, and he wasn’t talking about the scars that Danny would have on his back.

“They forced him to shift and attack them to survive. Kill them. He thinks Tani is afraid of him, that she'll leave Five-0 because of him.” He said, voice dripping with pain and heartbreak. “He asked how I could still be by his side, Lou.”

Adam squeezed his shoulder again. “Then that’s all the more reason for you to go home, Steve. He won’t be seeing the light of day for the rest of his life, ok?”

Resigned, he nodded: they were right, Danny needed him but the thought that one of them would live to tell the tale had obfuscated his brain to the point the only thing he could think about was hurting him.

“C’mon, let’s go.” They flanked him on their way upstairs and to his car. “Go straight home, don’t stop for anything unless it’s groceries, copy?” Lou pressed.

“Yeah. Ok. I'm…”

“Don’t even say it. Go.” The older man shut his door and shooed him away, staying with Adam until they saw the Silverado disappear around the corner. “So, what were you saying about having added more injuries than this guy currently has on yesterday’s report?”

* * *

Steve slipped inside the room, having said hello to Clara, in paws, and laid down next to Danny, on his lover’s front as to avoid his back. When a heavy arm wrapped around him he looked up, surprised at finding him awake.

“Who do you think called Lou, hm?” The blond muttered.

Steve shimpered in response, already preparing himself for the rant he knew that was coming.

“I know babe, I would have done the same. You get a free pass this time around.” He said, kissing his nose. “But never again, ok?” Steve woofed softly before burrowing closer against his partner. “Love you.”

Danny knew that giving Steve a free pass was dangerous but he knew everything about going against his instincts and needs, at how wrong it felt and how damaging it could be for their psyche and truly, he knew he would have done the same exact thing if Steve had been the one taken.

Basking in the warmth his partner emmanted in his dog form, Danny fell into a deep, reaxing, and more importantly _healing_ sleep.

* * *

It took some work, but Steve managed to keep the team at bay from visiting and after some insistence he convinced Chin and Kono to not jump on the first plane since there wasn’t much they could do anyways, mostly because it wouldn’t make much of a difference with Danny sleeping and high in the meds Adam and Clara had gotten him. He had also talked with Rachel, who agreed on letting the kids be with them after school and for dinner, so long as they were back to sleep at hers. It had been almost too easy.

* * *

Danny lowered himself on the bed so his head and shoulder were resting on the ex-SEALs body. Steve had cleaned his back and brought him some water and another painkiller still worried that he was slightly dehydrated and in pain.

“Hey baby, I talked with Clara, she said she’ll make lunch, what do you want?”

“’ghetti. With garlic and olives.” He slurred.

“Ok. I’ll tell her. Sleep some more. I’ll wake you up.”

Danny nodded, feeling how sleep was tugging him under and Steve knew just how much he was hurting and how tired he was when he started snoring lightly seconds later, because in all the years they had known each other the only times Danny slept this deeply was when his body couldn’t keep up.

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur he mostly didn’t remember, because the second Adam had been there with his prescribed drugs, his mum had made him take them, since apparently Steve had calculated since the night before when to give him the ibuprofens so they wouldn’t mix and had slipped him a sleeping pill to knock him out just in case the ibuprofen wasn’t enough. He did remember his mom’s face when she saw him for the first time, all bloody and banged up, but they had reassured her that he was fine. The kids he didn’t remember as much, but he knew they hadn’t left his bedroom until they had to go back home, their quiet voices as they also lay the bed washing over him and then back again the next day. The most prominent memory he had was Steve coming and going, cleaning his back and a couple of times waking him to make him drink some more.

* * *

Five days later Danny woke up when the bell rang, loudly so. He looked up, and saw that Steve wasn’t there in bed with him, but he could hear him puttering around in the kitchen, so he decided that he could let him handle it.

He heard the door open and a female voice and he couldn’t exactly place it but when he heard Steve’s voice, somehow embarrassed and clipped at the same time he knew exactly who was in his house. Groaning, he stood up, thankful that he had his pants on. He took his cane and made his way to the entry.

“Danny!” Steve hurried past the Governor to go to him, hovering over him. “You shouldn’t even be out of bed.” 

“I’m fine, Steve.”

Before the ex-SEAL had a chance to say anything else, the Governor had taken a chair and brought it over to him, helping Steve lower the man down. Her breath catching on her throat when she saw how battered the second in command of her task force was.

“Commander McGarrett is right, Detective.” She scolded, feeling like a mother with three young kids all over again. “How are you doing?” She nodded at Steve when he brought another chair for her to sit, choosing to stay standing himself by Danny’s side.

“I’ve been better.” He offered her a smile. “Sorry about my clothes ma’am, if I had known you were coming…” Not that Steve was more dressed than he was.

“Nonsense, Detective. I dropped in uninvited on you, you have every right to be dressed as you very well please in your own house.” She replied.

“Right.” He glanced at Steve silently asking what was going on, but he simply looked back, just as confused as he was.

“So that’s what people meant about silent conversations.” She mused, and had she ever been this familiar with them? Danny didn’t think so but usually when they met her there too many lives at stake to be nice to each other. “Anyhow I don’t want to keep you out of bed longer than necessary so I won't beat around the bush: I’m here to tell you that the State of Hawaii will be awarding you the Medal of Honour and the Police Combat Cross.”

They looked at each other, surprised and then back at her, their brains struggling to understand what was going on.

“Ma’am?”

“You didn’t really think I went home until I knew you and Officer Rey were safe and sound, right?” So maybe they had, but they still both shook their heads. “I talked with Chief Togo the second you were found. I also received the Doctor Kuhna’s reports.” Danny tensed at those words and Steve said a hand on his shoulder, steadying him, calming him. “And I talked to Officer Rey this morning, too, although it was over the phone. She told me you didn’t let them touch her, even when you already were in pain, you kept making sure that they left her alone, that you freed yourself and then freed her, that you took down 5 armed kidnappers and one more that is in custody right now. While injured. Do you not agree that his conduct, in such circumstances, is deserving of those medals, Commissioner?” She turned to the door, and just then Danny realised there was someone else in his house.

He really hated being drugged, it numbed his senses until they were almost useless.

“Commissioner, sir, I didn’t see you there.” He went to stand up, but the man waved him off.

“You don’t work for me any more, Williams, you don’t have to stand up.” The man said, raising a hand to ease him. “Son, I can honestly say, that in my 40 years of service I have never seen a law enforcement officer, shifter or not, take as much damage as you did to ensure the safety of a colleague. And I will be damned if I don’t honour that. Pardon the language, ma’am.” Not that she seemed too bothered.

“I thought only the NYPD had those medals.” He pointed out.

“So you might have to be the first recipient of HPD’s newest medals.” The man said, grinning. “It’s going to take a few weeks, because we are still designing them, but we expect to have them by the end of the month.”

“R-right. But I still don’t think…”

“Commander,” The Governor swiftly interrupted him, looking at the other man. “care to share your thoughts? Perhaps help us convince Detective Williams?”

Danny turned his head up to look at him, eyes clear. When Steve looked down there was a softness around him that even a child could understand. “You deserve them, Danno. You deserved them a long time ago.” He cradled his face, stroking his cheekbones and maybe he shouldn’t act like this in front of their boss, but they were in their home goddammit and he was going to make sure Danno took those medals.

“I agree.” The Governor said. “So?” Danny nodded, not able to actually voice his acceptance, and feeling his face flame up. “Perfect. Now, there is another matter I would like to talk to you both, in private.” The Commissioner nodded and with a small nod he headed to the door, seeing himself out. “I finally got word that you two are out to the public, can I ask what took you so long to let everyone know? I understand the circumstances were extenuating this time around, but it is not the first time one of you has been in great danger.”

They glanced at each other, even more confused than before: what on earth was she talking about?

“Ma’am?” Danny finally said. “We are not exactly sure what you mean.”

Now it was her turn to look confused. “You two… are partners, yes? As in romantic partners, that is.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And you’ve been together for how long?”

“Oh. Around 5…”

“5 months, 13 days and 14 hours.” Of course his lovable dork knew the exact amount of days and hours, probably minutes, too.

She didn’t say anything, she just blinked at them, staring at Steve first and then her eyes fell on Williams, trying to understand what they were saying.

“I-I’m sorry, you said months, correct? Not years, but months.” They both nodded. “You two are aware that when Denning left the office he was convinced you two were already together, right? And that he told me so. In fact, I believe almost the whole state believes you have been together for a considerable amount of time now.”

“What?” Steve was glancing first at him, then at his boss: did everyone immediately assume that as soon as they saw them? Had they really been the last ones to know?

“You really didn’t know?”

“Well, there’s always been jokes in the team and friends, but we always left them as jokes.” Danny shrugged. “So I guess that means there will be no problem with us being together.”

“No, of course not. None of us noticed any difference so you have my blessings. Your actions today weren’t all that different than any other time one of you has been in danger. However, if there is a next time, we could do with less property damage, Commander.” He didn’t react to her words, but the second Danny snapped his head to glare at him, the man honest to God, squirmed, refusing to look at his partner. She chuckled inside her head, the Governor and God were the only ones who could order him around? Perhaps, but no one made him behave like one Detective Danny Williams. “Now, gentlemen, I’ll let you carry on with your day. Get well soon, Detective.” She said, shook their hands and left, her guards waiting for her outside.

They broke out laughing as soon as they heard the car rumble into life.

“Well that was weird.” Danny chuckled, tugging on Steve’s arm, who went willingly. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Steve kissed him softly, happy that his partner was visibily better, both physically and emotionally better. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a truck ran me over, but less like I'm going to die in a minute.” He replied. “Maybe I’ll go back to bed for a while.”

Steve nodded. “Let’s go, I’ll lie down with you, but let’s clean your back before, ok?” 

“Kay. Where’s Ma, by the way?”

“Went to the market to buy things for lunch.” He pressed another kiss on his head before guiding him to the bathroom, the need to the care of his mate still right taking up most of his instincts at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to include Steve going to beat the perp, but y'all seemed to want that very much and I don't care for writing the actual beatings I do like Steve being angry. I think it could have turned out a lot worse than it did, so yeah, sorry if I disappointed any of you with it.


	22. Chapter 22

Once Steve was satisfied with his back they went back to bed, because it didn’t matter how many times Danny said Steve didn’t have to stay with him, the ex-SEAL would only roll his eyes, tell him to shut up and would lie down next to him, sometimes in human form, sometimes in dog form.

“What’s on your mind?” The younger man asked when Danny kept silent for a while, thrumming his fingers on his stomach, which was the only indication that he was still awake.

“Do you really think I deserve it? The medals, I mean.”

Steve breath stuttered: how could Danny be unsure of that after he had the highest authority of the State tell him so? “Danno, no one deserves them more than you. Fuck, you should have gotten one when you crash-landed a plane for me and then gave me your liver.” He said, petting his wild hair. “You are amazing Danno.”

“Hm… You are pretty amazing too, babe.” He nuzzled his chest, his voice getting slurry. “But you have to come with me… to the ceremony.”

“Of course, baby. Someone has to make sure you behave.”

Danny hit him weakly on the side. “Asshole.”

“Maybe, but you love me.”

“Eh, some days.” He grinned at him before mouthing at his neck. “Smell good.”

Steve chuckled. “Sleep.”

He should probably talk with the Governor about making dress uniforms for Five-0, he couldn’t have almost _all_ of his task force in civilian clothes. Probably blue, like HPD, but a slightly different shade of blue. The one from Danny’s button down shirt, the one that brought his eyes out so much his breath stuttered every time he saw it. Yeah, that blue. 

And maybe he could convince the Governor of giving Danny a new rank, sure everyone knew he was his second in command but really, the Detective Sergeant title had become too small for him, Danno deserved a whole more. At least Lieutenant. Maybe Captain, but knowing him he would already put up a fight about the Lieutenant position so maybe he should wait for the Captain. At least for a while.

* * *

Clara and Steve were sitting on the sofa (had been since Steve dropped the kids at Rachel's over for dinner an hour ago) and he had to admit that he liked having Clara to himself because she truly had become like a mother to him ever since she moved in with Danny and if he ever had to choose between Doris and Clara, there was no doubt on who he would choose. He had told her about the medals, explaining why they were giving them to Danny, she had been so proud her baby was being recognised that she cried her eyes out, and then simply said that this was the man her son had always been, she talked a bit about Grace Tillwell and how Danny had blamed himself for her death. How he still blamed himself for it. 

She was telling him about the one time Danny and Stella brought them a bunch of leaves they had caught as presents when they were pups, trying to evoke happier memories for them both to not think about their beloved Danny, passed out on his bed, when his phone rang, Junior’s name on the screen.

“Junior? Is everything alright?”

 **“Uh… Give me a second.”** He heard him talk to someone in hushed tones and then a door opening and closing. **“Sorry. It’s Tani, sir.”**

“Tani? Is she alright?” He sat up straighter, on alert, and next to him he felt Clara also tense up: she had taken to the kids as if they were their grandchildren, and it was such a Williams thing to do. No, a Bianchi thing to do, she went by her maiden name again. And with how territorial and protective Presas were it was no surprise at all.

**“She’s… She’s physically fine, but she woke up and keeps saying she wants to see Danny and saying something about him being mad, but I don’t understand what it is and…”**

“Mad? What are you talking about?”

**“I don’t know sir, but she’s crying and I didn’t know what to do…”**

“Ah well…” He was no good at crying people either, the one who was good at that was currently in pain and passed out.

“Oh, you Navy boys.” Clara said, taking his phone out of his hands before he could say anything. “Junior, put her on the phone, please. And leave the room, ok? Stay nearby, but leave.”

 **“Yes, Ms. Bianchi.”** Steve heard him mutter.

“Tani? Sweetheart, what is it?” She hummed. “Now, now, that’s not true…” Steve could hear Tani crying, but he was incapable of understanding a single word through her sobbing. “Ok, ok, calm down, big breath in and… out, in… and out. Good girl. Now, give the phone to Junior, please. Junior, pup, bring her here. Her and Daniel clearly need to talk.” No one ever said anything about her calling Junior pup, but considering how Danny was, it was not surprising at all that she would adopt him too as part of her pack.

She smiled at him and gave him his phone back. “I’ve had many children, Steven, one day you’ll understand.” She said. “Now, go wake my son and tell him Tani is coming to see him because she thinks she failed my son, somehow. As if that poor child was at fault they got kidnapped.”

“Yes ma’am.” He gave her a mock salute and marched to the main room, sliding inside and sitting on the bed and the sleeping pill had done its job, because Danny opened his eyes the second the bed dipped. “Hey, it’s me.” He whispered, bending to press a kiss on his head. “We’ve got another two visitors coming.”

“Guh? Kono and Chin?”

Steve chuckled, playing with the hairs at the end of his head. “No, they’ll land in a few days, remember? It’s Tani.”

“Wha? No, no.” He feebly pulled away, shaking his head, trying to get his brain back online. 

“Hey, listen to me. She told Junes she needs to talk to you. She thinks she’s failed you or something. She’s not afraid of you, ok? She would never be.” He helped him sit.

“But…”

“No buts, she loves you. She thinks you are amazing.” He pushed the blond locks back, without much result, but it’s the thought that counts, right? “Wanna go out to the lanai? It’s still warm out.”

“It’s always warm in here.” He grumbled, but followed him, yawning. “What’s for dinner?”

“What do you want?”

“Fish?”

“You got it, baby. Go sit out back, I’ll be right there.”

Danny nodded. “Hi Ma.” He said as he walked past her.

“Hi sweetie, how are you doing?” She replied, following him and helping him sit.

“Been better. Been worse. Back is what bothers me the most.”

“I can imagine.” She kissed him on the forehead, checking his temperature. “No fever, good. You said you wanted fish, right?” He nodded. “With tomato sauce? Like Nonna used to make?”

“Oh yeah… Make some for Tani and Junior, they’ll stay, too.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Now, who do you think you are talking to? When have I ever left any guests walk out hungry?” Danny chuckled at her words, his mind starting to clear now that the med’s effects were slowing down.

* * *

When Junior and Tani arrived, the first thing she did when Clara door opened was scan the area, looking for the blond.

“Where’s…?”

“They are out back.” Clara told her, but cut her off when she tried to race there. “Calm down, big breaths, they are not going anywhere.” She nodded and once Clara deemed her relaxed enough she let her go. “Junior, how about you help me with dinner?”

“Sure, Ms. Bianchi!” He smiled at her, and he wanted to go with Tani, but knew that it was something she had to do for herself, and he loved cooking with Danny’s mom. “What are we making?”

“Fish with tomato sauce. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Clara? No miss or ma'am business in this house, Junior.”

“Sorr, ma’am.” He said cheekily, smiling when she shook her head.

* * *

Tani lingered at the door when she saw them cuddling and was thinking of turning tail when Steve turned around. He muttered something and stood up, opening the door.

“Hey.” His voice was so soft, and she wasn’t used at that tone, not towards her, at least. “Come here.” He opened his arms and she walked into them, feeling tears spring in her eyes. After a few seconds he released her and forced her to walk towards Danny.

His partner was still wary of seeing her, still convinced that she was scared of him and his shift, so he didn’t move when she appeared in front of him, which, in return, made her even more nervous. He made her sit down on his chair as he himself sat on Danny’s armrest.

“Tani…”

“I’m sorry!” She blurted out. “Please don’t kick me out!”

The two men looked at each other before staring at her, confused and worried about her.

“What? Tani, what are you talking about?” Steve said, reached over. “Kick you from where?”

She looked at them as if they were dumb, her eyes large and shiny with tears. “From Five-0.”

“Kick you from…? Why would we ever do that?” Danny exclaimed, scooting closer praying to God that Steve was right and she wasn’t afraid of him; it appeared to be that he had been listened to because she didn’t move away or even flinch. “Tani, what is it?”

“I-I was no good. And you didn’t let them hit me and you had to do everything and you are mad at me and-and…”

Without thinking, Danny grabbed her chin, jerking her head a bit and making sure she was looking at him. “Who said I’m mad? Tani, kid, I’m not mad.”

“Yes, you are!” She exclaimed, twisting out of his hold and curling on the chair. “You wouldn’t look at me when we-we were waiting and you didn’t-you didn’t come say goodbye when you left but you talked with everyone and and” It was like she couldn’t stop talking even if she was choking on her words. “And I can do better, I promise!”

“Tani, I thought you were scared of me.” Danny swiftly interrupted her monologue, effectively silencing her. “That’s why I didn’t come closer, or said goodbye. I would never be mad at you for being scared.”

That seemed to do it, because suddenly she snapped her mouth and stared at him, dumbfounded. “Why would I be scared of you? You saved my life! You made sure they didn’t hurt me!” Steve arched an eyebrow, she sounded furious now, and that seemed like such a Danny thing to do, to go from sad to angry to normal and so on, but then again, he always thought they were damn similar: both were quick with their tongues, had very short fuses, spoke their minds regardless of where they were…

“See? I told you so.” He couldn’t help himself, chuckling when Danny glared at him, but it seemed to lighten the mood a bit, so he was glad for that.

“Why did you think I was scared of you? I love your shift form.” She asked.

Danny shrugged, groaning when his back lit up on fire for a few seconds.

“You wouldn’t be the first to think my shift is cool at the beginning and then realise exactly what I can do and decide to pull away.”

Steve felt a growl rise on his throat at those words, at how resigned his partner sounded, but bit down on it and before he could say or do anything Tani was hugging Danny, as much as they could hug him anyway.

“That’s stupid, Danny.” She said and Danny smiled, wrapping his bad arm around her shoulders.

“You thinking I’m mad at you is stupid.” He pressed a kiss on her head. “It’s always hard, the first time. Hopefully you won’t have a second time.”

“But… You were so… calm.” That wasn’t the exact word, but nothing else came to her still foggy mind.

“You thought I was calm? Tani, I was terrified something would happen to you.”

“What? What about you? They could have killed you!” She pulled away, looking at him frantically, her mind scrambling to understand what Danny was saying. “What about Grace and Charlie? And Steve!” She pointed at him. “They need you!”

“What? Tani, they weren’t going to kill him.” Steve said, grabbing her hand and helping her up and back to her chair.

“You don’t know that!”

Danny chuckled. “Tani, remember this because it’s kidnapping101: when they demand something as personal as the release of someone, they will never kill their hostages. Torture, sure. Clearly. But never killing.”

She frowned at them. “That sounds like wishful thinking, Danny.”

Steve shook his head. “No, he’s got a point. They know if they kill their hostages too quickly all negotiations stop, and it’s a sure fire way that whoever they are trying to save will end up in solitary, or, you know, dead.” He explained, his mind flashing at the disastrous winter ball. He should have taken the kiss. “I wouldn’t say provoking them is the route most people would choose, or the safest, for that matter, but it’s always worked for you, hasn’t it, Danno?”

Danny grinned at him. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Steve nodded before he leaned down, pressing down a soft kiss on his lips. “And thank god for that.” He nuzzled his cheek before he pulled away.

* * *

Tani watched them kiss and nuzzle and she just realised that the other day had been the first time she had seen them kiss since they had started going out. 

They had always had a strange tenderness about each other that was super combative, and loud and with stabbing fingers and more insults that one could count and she understood why they had been sent to therapy, because from the eyes of an outsider that was a powder keg waiting to explode. 

If you asked her, therapy didn’t seem to have done much. Either that or they were even worse back then. Yet they had always gravitated towards each other, she had even seen it when they were on TV and she was just a kid, but the first she realised how much they meant to the other had been on that boat, when Danny was almost unresponsive and Steve had freaked out when the medicine didn’t help him as fast as it had with them. The first thing Steve did when he had been stable enough was shift and settle himself next to Danny, trying to warm him up the fastest way, and he kept doing so until Danny had been up on his feet.

For some reason he didn’t let them tell Danny about it.

However yesterday was the first time she saw how much they loved each other, she was seeing it now, in the way that Steve was running his fingers through Danny’s hair (which, as far as she knew, only his children were allowed to touch) or how Danny leaned into his touch more openly than usual and smiled at him.

“Why have you never kissed before in front of us?” She blurted out before she could stop herself. They both turned to her and she could feel her face heating up. 

Danny shrugged. “We said we wouldn’t bring it to work so I guess we simply fell into a routine of not acting couple-y with you guys around.”

“Oh. But you do know we don’t care, right? That we are happy for you.” She said because all of a sudden she needed them to know that. They had done so much for all of them, she had to make sure they knew they loved them all the same.

“Of course we know, Tani. It’s not that. The thing is neither of us is big on PDA.” Steve explained. “It never really occurred to us that you wouldn’t approve.”

She grinned at them. “Good! We really are happy for you! You make each other happy.” She stood up and hugged them both. “I’m sorry about before.” She apologised, suddenly feeling like a small child.

Danny huffed and hugged even closer. “Don’t ever think again that we’d ever hold being scared against you. It’s something you learn with experience or training and, unfortunately, you’ve got neither. And as I said, I hope you never have to go through it again.” He said.

“Ok. But you can’t think we are scared of you.”

“I’ll remember that.” he smiled softly at her and she nodded once before kissing his cheek. “I’ll go see if I can help Clara with anything.” And just with that, she was gone.

Danny sighed and slumped against his lover.

“You were right.” He said, nuzzling his neck.

Steve lips twitched at that. “I’m always right, Danno.”

“Uh-huh. I remember a masters cylinder incident that disagrees, babe.” He teased.

“Jesus Danno, that was almost a decade ago.”

“Yeah, and according to the guitar strings you bought last month, that lesson is one you still haven’t learned. You never learn anything.”

Steve fully grinned at him and sat down on his lap: he wouldn’t do it with other people around, but they were all in the kitchen. “Now that’s not true. I learnt how to handle you, haven’t I?”

“Handle me, he says. No, babe, I learnt how to handle you.” He kissed him on his bare shoulder. “Mahone doesn’t call me half the times Jameson _or_ Denning did to complain about you destroying Hawaii.”

Steve chuckled before kissing him, slipping his tongue inside, loving the way Danny sighed against his lips. “See? That means I learnt.” He pushed.

“No, that means I learnt how to control your crazy.” He shot back, grinning.

Steve didn’t say anything else, he simply kissed him again. And kept kissing him until Danny pulled away to take a breath.

“How are you feeling? Truthfully?”

Danny shrugged as much as he could. “It doesn’t hurt as much as this the first couple days, but still hurts.” He confessed, because why would he lie? He didn’t have to pretend any more. He probably never did to begin with, but he had never wanted to bother Steve with his own problems when the man seemed to be drowning on his own.

“You can take another painkiller in one hour and a half.”

Danny smiled at him, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you babe.”


	23. Chapter 23

Danny had insisted on also going to pick the cousins at the airport and after several minutes of them glaring at each other, Steve agreed, but on the condition that as soon as they got back he would sit down and stay put while he and Clara made lunch.

“Yeah, ok, fine.” 

Their second problem had been finding a shirt that was loose enough on him and while Steve usually loved his tight button ups and even tighter T-shirts, he was very close to just shifting and ruining every single one of them out of frustration. He was about to give up when he remembered he had left an old SEALs shirt a few months back and that it should be clean. He went to the laundry room and found it there, perfectly folded with the rest of his clothes, piled with Danny’s, next to Grace’s, and it suddenly hit him how domestic they already were. He took it upstairs again and helped Danny into it.

God, he looked so good in it. He hadn’t been expecting the surge of possessiveness and lust that hit him and any other time he wouldn’t have fought it, but it was not the time, and Danny couldn’t do anything, and he sure as hell was not hurting his partner for a quickie.

Danny gave him a dirty look and groaned. “You bastard, you are loving this, aren’t you?”

“Loving what?” He smirked at him. “You look good.”

The blond huffed before punching him lightly. “Let’s go, I don’t wanna be late.”

Steve followed him to the door, handing him the cane when they got out, Danny didn’t say anything, he just sighed and took it. They dropped Clara off at Steve’s, Junior was still staying with Tani for a few more days and they both had promised to drop by after lunch. Adam, on the other hand, said he would rather not, and they all understood. And the Grovers would, of course, be there pre-lunch time so they could catch up with the cousins.

* * *

“Uncle Danny! Uncle Steve!” 

They both stared at the two girls running full speed towards them and before they could lunch her on Danny’s arms Steve knelt and took the impact of their race.

“Joannie! I didn’t know you were also coming!” He exclaimed, kissing her blond head. “Hi Sara!” He kissed her too before letting them go. “Uncle Danny is hurt, so be careful, yeah?”

“Yeah!” They both wiggled out of his hold to go to Danny who was, under the threat of no malasadas for a week, sitting on a chair. “Hi Uncle Danny!” They both sat down next to him, kissing his cheeks.

“Hello! Where are Mary and the others?”

“Getting the bags!” Joannie pointed at the belt and Steve whirled to look for his sister, suddenly anxious to see her. “They said we could come because we are big girls.” Sara nodded.

“You sure have grown up since I last saw you!” He nodded, looking serious, which sent the two girls giggling. He looked up again, and Steve was almost on his tiptoes. “Jesus babe, go get Mary.” He said, waving him away. “Go, go, I have two warrior princesses to keep an eye on me, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Ok. I’ll be right and ladies, he is not allowed to stand up. Not for anything, ok?” Danny rolled his eyes at him, but he would always love how his lover acted with kids: he had come such a long way.

“Yes Uncle Steve!”

“Hey, how was your flight? Did you sit together?” He asked them.

That was all it took for them to launch into a very detailed explanation of their flight.

* * *

Steve neared them silently, putting all of his SEAL training to good use and wrapped his arms around Mary, picking her off the ground, making her squeak in surprise and bat at his arms until he left her on the ground again, laughing.

“Steve!” She scolded at the same time she wrapped her arms around him. “Didn’t hear you come!”

“Yeah, still sneaky like always.” Kono grinned at him and once he had his fill of Mary, he would get to her, too.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming.” He groused, glaring at his little sister.

“Yeah, that’s what usually happens when you want to surprise someone, Steve.” She kissed his cheek and pulled away to look at him. “You look good, big bro. Where’s Danny? I assume I have him to thank.”

“I can take care of my own, Mare.” He grumbled, but she was probably right, he had gained a few pounds ever since him and Danny had started going out, almost 5 months ago, but he… liked it, in a way. 

Danny certainly had not been complaining about it so… Not that he was pudgy in any way, he still ran or swam everyday, depending on whose house they were at, they also ran together in their shift forms a lot, Danny agreeing to go hiking in paws more often than not, now. He still had to convince his lover to let him tag along to the boxing gym so he could look.

And also, for all that Danny loved his pizzas and malasadas, the man ate more salad than a rabbit, and all because of Gracie had been worried about his health almost a decade ago and had decided that if he had to eat salads, so did Steve(He still had to find a way to sneak in some pineapple on those, but it was a work in progress) and even without the salads, his actual cooking was pretty healthy and balanced.

“I know, but still.” She kissed his cheek and pulled away completely. “Oh, my bag!” 

The second she was gone to get it, Kono had walked into him and wrapped her arms around him, too, squeezing like she would die if she let go.

“Hey boss.”

“Hey rookie.”

He felt her swallow and squeeze him tighter. “I missed you.”

“We missed you too.”

He released her after a few more seconds and then turned to Chin, who grinned and hugged him too, slapping his back once before pulling away.

“Man, it’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to be back.” Chin replied, turning around to scan the area. “So, where’s Danny?”

“Sitting down if he wants malasadas.” He said before pointing at the blond, who was listening to the girls with rapt attention. And yet he looked up when Steve looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

“I see your psychic link is as good as always.” Kono teased. “I’ve got my bag, I’m going to say hi.”

“Sure. Oh Kono, no hugs, ok?” She cocked her head, confused, but nodded.

“That bad?” Chin inquired, twisting to look at their favourite blond.

“Yeah, that bad, I mean, he's a lot better than when we got to them, but he's still hurting a lot. Talk about it later?”

“Of course. Oh, those are ours.” 

* * *

“Danny!” Kono left the bag at his feet and bent to kiss him on the cheek, resting her hands on the armrests.

“Kono.” He wrapped his good arm around her slim waist. “How have you been?”

“Better than you, that’s for sure.” She scooped Sara up and sat on her chair, putting the girl on her lap. “Steve said not hugs, what did they do to you?”

“My back.”

Kono bit her lip before pushing her head against his neck, the same way she did before she left when she wanted to comfort them. She breathed against him, a foreign yet familiar smell tickling her nose, but it couldn’t be right, Danny was human, it probably was just Steve’s lingering scent, because that T-shirt was clearly his. She wondered briefly why Danny was wearing it, but if Danny still wore those tight shirts there was no way he was able to wear them now if his back was hurt and knowing them, Steve was probably camping at Danny’s place or forced Danny to go to his.

“I’m fine, Kono.” Danny said, petting her head.

But she didn’t let up, so he just let her stay there and continued talking to the two girls, who were now explaining to him the plot of Frozen II.

After a few more minutes the other three came and Kono moved to let everyone have a piece of Danny. Mary kissed his cheek and muttered something along the lines of “we need to talk” to him, to what Danny chuckled, nodding. Chin had cupped his neck and squeezed gently, also noticing the shirt, but Danny had probably been staying at Steve’s and if he was hurt it was no wonder Steve had forced him to wear something looser than his usual shirts.

“Everything tied up?” He asked, looking first at the blond, then at the ex-SEAL.

“Yeah.” Danny smiled at him before clasping hands with the man.

“We still have him in custody until Tuesday if you want to take a few swings.” Steve growled.

“Oh, we want.” Kono said, her thirst for blood and revenge spiking up. “We very much want.”

“Wait, he’s still in custody? I thought he had been transferred to Halawa already.” Danny questioned, extending his good arm to Steve, who immediately helped him up.

“Personal favour from the Governor.”

So  _ that’s  _ what they had been talking about before he got there.

“Alright, I called Lou to come pick you guys up, he shouldn’t be too long.” He replied, changing the topic. 

“I wanna ride with you and Uncle Danny!” Joannie exclaimed, taking Steve’s hand and tugging.

“Fine by me. Mare?” She nodded.

“Me too, me too!” 

“Sure, boo.” Chin ruffled her hair and she swatted her hands at him.

By the time they got outside Lou was already there and after the obligatory round of hugs and welcome backs, they split up and Lou said they would have to take a detour to go get dessert unless they wanted to see a murder before lunch.

* * *

When they got to Steve’s they found that Grace and Charlie were already there and into the water, Eddie (Junior had dropped him off a few minutes after they dropped Clara) splashing around with them and Clara was finishing a panzanella salad.

The girls had changed into their bathing suits after meeting Clara and went to join the other two. They hadn’t interacted much face to face, but they were usually around when Steve and Danny Skyped with Mary and Chin, so they were comfortable around each other. They actually referred to each other as cousins, and hadn’t that being fun to explain at school.

And just like he had promised, Danny was lying on his stomach on the hammock that Steve had installed the previous month for him, in the shadow of the trees where he could also keep an eye on the kids and dog.

He heard Lou’s car pull up and then going into the house, the gentle gasps from the cousins at seeing his mother there, Lou booming laugh as he came around back. 

“Yo Danny, where you at?” Mary yelled and he raised his hand before setting it down again, shifting when she came around him. “Here, Steve says you have to drink.” She gave him a glass with icy water.

“Do me a favour and tell your brother that I’m fine because he doesn’t seem to hear me.” But he still took it, taking two large gulps of it.

“Nope, sorry brah, but I’m not stepping on your relationship with him.” She sat down on the hammock, by his legs. “He’s just worried, you know that.”

He sighed, twisting as much as he could to look at her. “I know, I know.” He turned his hand to take hers in. “How are you doing? Still going out with that guy? Jeff?”

She shook her head, huffing. “She was cheating on me. Or, on us, because it turns out he was married and had another one on the side.

“We’ll kick his butt when we come visit.” He said, easy. “I’m sorry Mary. You deserve better than that.”

She shrugged. “I’m good, though. I’ve got Joan and you and Steve. That’s more than I thought I’d have, say, 12 years ago.”

They both turned to look at the kids. “You did good, Mary. She’s a great kid, open, easy going, caring, like you.”

She looked at him, smiling with wet eyes. “Thanks Danny, it means a lot.”

“Nothing but the truth.” 

They stayed in silence for a few minutes, Danny letting her put herself back together. They heard Lou and Chin come outside carrying the grill, Kono laughing upstairs with Steve and Clara, the children splashing in the water, and for a few minutes, everything was as it always should have been, even Grace had yet to go check her phone. They heard another car pull up, Renee and Will finally arriving.

“So…” She started again and he knew that was the part where she’d be giving him shit about Steve. “Surf buddies, huh?”

Danny laughed, pinching the skin between her index and thumb. “Yeah Mary, surf buddies.”

“Uh-huh. And how’s the surfing going?” She wiggled her eyebrows, as if there had been to misinterpret what she meant.

“Smooth.” He grinned. “Although I have no idea who decided to give him the moniker of Smooth Dog because that, I can tell, he is not. Sure, he’s a dog, but the  _ smooth  _ he lost somewhere on the way.” 

Mary cackled next to him, shaking her head. “That does sound more like him. I’m so happy for both of you. You’ve always made him happy. Did you know that the first time I came here I found Catherine in the kitchen? In my brother’s shirt and, hopefully, panties.”

“Ok?” He knew what that was like, but after the third time, it didn’t bother him anymore. And maybe there had been some jealousy in his actions, but that was something that he could keep for himself.

“But all the times he called me to get me to come, not once he mentioned her, or a woman, staying with him. You know who he did mention every other sentence?” He didn’t need to answer, he could see it on her face. “Yeah. You are by far the person he has ever talked to me the most about. And then the kids. He loves them so much.”

Danny swallowed, his eyes going from his two kids to Steve, who was now in the garage bringing more chairs out with Will’s help. “Yeah, I know. They love him, too. Grace wants to ask him if they can call him dad.” He confessed.

Mary turned around to face him, eyes open in that same way Steve had when he was surprised and confused at the same time. He groaned when she accidentally jostled him.

“Fuck, I'm sorry Danny.” She squeezed his hand again. “It’s just… And you are okay with it?”

He smiled at her. “Yeah, yeah, I am. I want nothing more, to be honest.” Except marrying him, but it was a bit too early for that. “Besides, I’ve seen him as my co-parent ever since he went to pick Grace up at school when I was in the hospital, this would just make it official.”

Mary nodded before gently standing up and smooching him on the cheek. “Thanks for taking care of him, Danny.”

“Always.”

She smiled at him. “I’m gonna see if Clara needs another set of hands.”

He waved her off and, not even two minutes later there was another shadow looming over him. He looked up and saw both cousins looking down at him.

“Hey, sit down.” He gestured at his leg and they both sat down, each on each side and rocking lightly. “What’s up?”

“We just wanted to check on you, that’s all.” Kono said, wrapping a hand around his calf, stroking the skin behind his bum knee. “Except for this, how have you been?”

He sighed. “Been a tough year, not gonna lie. You-uh you heard about Joe, right?”

“Yeah.” Chin nodded. “Adam told us. I wasn’t a fan of the man, but he was important to Steve, and helped us save him so…”

“Yeah, no, I feel the same way. He was… so lost when we came back. Wasn’t sure I could bring him back on my own. And then Gracie got into that car accident and I thought that for sure that was it, if he didn’t lose it I would.”

“Well, you’re still here.” Kono said, nudging him, gently. “You two are worse than cockroaches.”

Danny snorted at that. “Thanks rookie. Love you too. But except for a couple of tight cases, we’ve been doing alright. We had an amazing case related to pyramids schemes. It. Was. Nuts. Mermaid camps, impossible salaries, Detroit organized crime… It was a wild ride, let me tell you.”

“Yo, what are all doing here?” Steve said, coming with three beers and another glass of water.

“Babe…” Danny groaned at the sight of the transparent liquid. “You want me to grow gills, is that it?”

Steve rolled his eyes and handed him the glass. “Drink. Here guys.” He took the glass back when Danny shoved it into his hand, glaring at him. “I worry, ok?”

“Then worry a little less, babe, because I’m fine.” He growled and immediately felt bad about it when Steve went tense next to him. Great going, Williams. He grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry, babe. Just… let up some? I’m fine, I’m not dehydrated anymore, I’m eating fine, it’s just my back that hurts, alright? Alright?” He pressed when Steve didn’t reply.

“Yeah, alright. But you’ll tell me?”

“When have I ever not complained about something?” He questioned, arching an eyebrow, which sent Kono into a fit of giggles and Chin snorting as he nodded.

“He’s got a point there, Steve.” The older man said.

“Ugh, fine. Anyway, food is about done so you can go sit.” He pointed at the table already filled with bowls of salad and rice and sweet potato fries for the kids.

The cousins smiled and left them alone: they might have left two years ago, but they still knew when those two wanted to talk in private.

Danny watched them go and twisted to sit up, tugging Steve so he’d stand in front of him. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to snap.”

“I just want to make sure you are ok, baby.” He mumbled, and god, he sounded so small and shy at that moment.

“I know. I’m sorry. You know… You know I’m no good at letting others take care of me.” He apologised, taking his hands and squeezing gently. “I’ll do better. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We both suck at this part, don’t we?” He ran his fingers through the buzzed side of his head, scratching lightly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Using him as his cane he stood up.

Steve chuckled at that. “C’mon old man, I’ll help you.”

“Fuck you, babe.” He muttered, but still kissed his cheek when he sat down on the only stool, Steve next to him, Lou on his other side and the cousins in front of them, Grace next to Kono, who had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, with Will on her other side, Renee next to her son, Mary and Clara in front of them and the three kids at the end of the table.

* * *

There was no food left when lunch finished and everyone's stomachs were full and hurting from laughter. The kids had gone all inside to watch a movie and Danny made sure it would stay only a movie with one well placed glance towards Will when his parents weren’t looking.

“Hi!” Tani yelled, waving at them as they came around the house, Junior behind her. She made a beeline for Danny, kissing his cheek the second she was next to him. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. Grab a chair and sit down.” He said, gently pushing her off to the free chairs, but she plopped down on Lou’s chair, since he had moved to sit next to Renee. The blond rolled his eyes, but still scratched her head, which earned him a blinding smile and he felt relieve settle more in his heart that she really wasn't disgusting by him at all.

“Junior, sit down.” Steve said, waving at the younger SEAL to take a seat too, since he had been just, standing there, staring at Danny.

“Oh yeah, sorry. I uh… Are…”

"Come here, pup." He raised his good arm towards him and the younger shifter pressed his head against his neck, the same way Kono had.  “Yes, I’m fine. Yes, my back hurts and yes I’m taking my pills. If any one of you asks again I’ll send your reports as you give them to me and you can talk with the Governor.” He threatened out loud. “Including yours, Steven.”

The man chuckled and leaned over, pressing a loving kiss on his lips, fingers wrapping around the back of his head. “Yeah, I  _ really  _ don’t want that.”

“Thought so, she’s still mad about…”

“What the hell!?” Kono exclaimed, pointing a finger at them and they pulled apart at once, staring at her. “When did  _ this  _ happen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if the timeline is difficult to follow since Danny got hurt, but I'm afraid I'm not even sure of it myself, I've changed it so many times.
> 
> But on another note, Chin and Kono are here!


	24. Chapter 24

**“What the hell!?” Kono exclaimed, pointing a finger at them and they pulled apart at once, staring at her. “When did** **_this_ ** **happen?”**

“And why didn’t we know about it?” Chin questioned, but he was glaring at Lou, who simply ignored him, so the native man huffed and turned to stare at them. “Seriously, why?” He asked again, his eyes shifting towards them.

“We uh, kinda forgot to tell you?” Danny offered.

“You kinda forgot to tell us? Yeah, no shit brah! How long?”

Well, they could already tell that she was not happy about being kept in the dark, but it’s not like they were hiding, if people asked them they had no problem telling them what they were to each other. They had simply forgotten, the same way they kind of forgot to tell the team that they were together-together instead of ‘just talking’.

“5 months.”

“And 14 days.” Steve supplied.

“You two assholes have been together for almost half a year and  _ forgot _ to tell us?” Kono yelled, slamming her hands on the table. “And you! Better pay up!”

They all turned to look at Lou. 

“Oooh!” They looked up, Grace’s voice coming from the house, she and Will were watching everything from the window. “Is that why you didn’t let me tell them?”

“Ha! Busted!” Tani exclaimed, laughing at the man.

“Oh shush it you, like you and Junes here didn’t have a bet going on!”

“We did! And I won!” She replied, pressing onto Danny’s side with a laugh, melting into his side when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “$200!”

Danny laughed, shaking his head. “You hear that, babe? They are making money out of us and they don’t share.”

“Well, I’m sure Tani wouldn’t mind inviting us out one day, right?”

“Of course not, boss.” 

“But I still can’t believe you forgot to tell us!” Kono groused, pointing at them again. Chin had simply decided to sit back and enjoy the show, his eyes twinkling in amusement. 

“It’s not like we intentionally did it, Kono!” Steve tried to defend himself. “Hell, we hadn’t… we didn’t even plan to…” He looked at Danny, eyes wide and asking for help before he dug his grave even more.

“To what?”

“To get together. It just happened. That’s what he is trying to say.” He then turned around to look at his lover. “You know, babe, you’d think the Navy did a better job at training you on how to give or not give information.” Junior, who still hadn’t said anything, snorted. “Junior, you are no better than him. You are  _ incapable  _ of lying.”

“I can second that.” Tani said, grinning.

“And me.” Lou followed.

“What did  _ I _ do?” The younger SEAL exclaimed.

“Ok, ok! Forget about their uselessness in lying,” Kono interrupted. “ _ How _ did it happen?”

“I had to go solo and silent in an underground fight club and… Oh.” He stopped and turned to look at Steve, a mildly panicked look on his face. “Babe. They are going to murder me.”

“What? No, why would they… Oh.” He trailed off before looking at them. “Burial or incineration?”

“Incineration, please.” He stood up and walked to his mother, hugging her from behind. “Ma, I love you. I really, really love you. And the girls. Say goodbye to the kids for me.”

“Oh sweetheart, you are being dramatic again.” She patted him on the arm, smiling sweetly at her eldest boy.

“Oh, you think so? Steven, I want these words on my grave “His mother said he was being dramatic again.”

“That’s assuming they don’t kill me, too.” Kono growled at the same time Chin hissed. “Uh baby, just tell them.”

“Hey, how about we go inside, hm? I feel like we shouldn’t be here.” Mary said, picking up some of the dishes.

“Yeah, good idea Mary.” Lou agreed, following her lead.

“Please don’t kill him.” Tani requested. “I really don’t want the governor to see my reports pre-Danny.”

* * *

“Talk, Danny.” Chin said: he wasn’t mad per se at them not telling they were together, but a secret that no one had known until recently? Steve included? Well, that sort of stung.

“Ok, but sit first.” He told the Hawaiian woman, motioning with his hand.

Kono obeyed, staring at him and then shifting her gaze towards the Navy SEAL. “What is it? What did you do?” What could Danny have done that would make her angry at him? She had seen him do a  _ lot _ of crazy things, and going solo on a mission was not a first. And Danny was a good fighter, so if Steve and Junior hadn’t been available for whatever reason, Danny was the next best option.

“Not so much as do as be… I may have kept a secret from you all this time. They’ve only known since we got together, ok?” He reached inside his pocket and they watched how he pulled out a silver chain with a tag dangling from it.

Chin took it, his eyebrows rising as the words on it sunk in. He wordlessly gave it to Kono, whose reaction was a lot more nuclear than an icy stare.

“Shifter? YOU ARE A SHIFTER AND NEVER FELT LIKE TELLING US?” She screamed and it was the first time either Steve or Danny had seen her so mad. Chin could remember an incident involving a teenage Kono, one of their cousins, fire and a surfing board.

“Kono, it’s not like that!” Danny exclaimed, wrapping his hand around hers but she yanked her arms away. “It’s not!”

“Then why didn’t you tell us!?”

“Because I didn’t know you at first, ok? People always change when they see my shift.” He snatched the tags back, shoving them back in his pocket. “And it was need-to-know, and as far as I’m concerned, you never needed to know.”

“Need-to-know!? Are you for real right now Danny?” Chin exclaimed.

“Yes! It’s a rule that I’ve followed since before I joined the Academy in New Jersey and I was not going to give HPD another reason to hate me. Only those above me know: Captain Tanaka, the Chief, the Commissioner, and the Governor.”

“And you thought we’d hate you?”

“I  _ didn’t know _ !” He screamed, his voice breaking. Steve had never felt the difference between screaming and yelling as clear as he did at that moment. “I’ve had enough run-ins with Animal Control and Shifter Unit to last a lifetime. Not all of us can be adorable dolphins, or rat snakes, or cute dogs, alright?” He growled. “Every single move I make is being watched, and if I even  _ toed  _ the line I could have been thrown off the force so yeah, forgive me for watching my back.”

“You seriously thought that we would… would tattle on you?”

“Maybe not consciously, but you could have told someone without meaning to. The press could have gotten wind of it. Every time I press the trigger, every time I look at a perp in a certain way, how I say things. Every little thing you can do without thinking about it, I have to go over and over to make sure nothing I did was wrong, that none of those things would end with IA in my case.” He turned to stare at Chin. “You’ve been in the force, how many stealth shifters ended up thrown out because they did something that you did and was ok, but because they were tagged as dangerous was seen as them slipping? Or because the pressure of being stealth got to them and they really slipped?”

Chin swallowed, suddenly seeing his point. “I don’t know. A lot.”

“Exactly. Now can you imagine what that might be like for almost 20 years?” He questioned.

Kono bit her lip, shaking her head. “But Danny, you have to know that we wouldn’t have told anyone!”

“Too many variables, Kono. And I have other people to think about.” He said, cutting her off. “You always made fun of me when we met because of the ties, my Jersey ways… But here’s something you didn’t know. I did try, when I first arrived here, and it didn’t matter what I did, all I got was backlash so yeah, I did what was comfortable for me, what reminded me of home and pack, because I didn’t  _ have one _ . My pack solely consisted of me and my daughter. And then my son. For nearly ten years I’ve had no pack.” Steve heard the tremble of his voice but before he could say anything, Danny stood up without any other word he walked to the garage. 

Steve glared at them before standing up, too. “You have no fucking idea how much it means for him to tell you.”

“Steve, we didn’t mean to upset him. Or you.”

“Yes, you did.  _ Yes, you did _ . You are mad, and I get it, I was also mad at him for not trusting us,  _ me _ , with it. But you  _ know _ him, and you know he would have told us if he really hadn’t been terrified someone would take his pups away. He made us  _ sign  _ non-disclosure agreements, think about that. For him, for his family, making sure no one knows is not just a game, it’s  _ survival _ . And it’s making sure that those who know can’t tell anyone.” 

Kono looked away, ashamed, red colouring her cheeks. “I… You really didn’t know?”

“No. And yes, it  _ hurt _ but he had…  _ has _ his reasons, so I accepted it, and moved on. He didn’t call you out when you were seeing Adam. He didn’t say anything about you lying to the police for your uncle. So unless you can put it behind you, you can go home. Lou has some of the NDAs on his phone, make sure you sign them. You owe him that much.”

He left them there, as he went to the garage. “Baby?” He saw movement at the back, and found him sitting on one of the chairs toying with the tags. “Hey, wanna talk about it?” He sat down in front of him, taking his hands, fingers against his inner wrist and kissing his knuckles, his legs around Danny’s chair to make sure he didn’t leave.

“I just… I didn’t  _ want _ to keep it a secret. Not from you guys, at least.”

“I know. And they know that, too. It’s just… It’s hard, you know? Because the first thing we all thought was that you didn’t trust us enough to know that we would never hurt you. And I understand your reasons baby, I do, but… I was so angry at myself because I never even suspected it. And I should have realised it at the petroglyphs.”

“Steve, you had a broken arm, and possibly a concussion, how would you even have realised it, huh?” Danny said, kissing his cheek.

“Maybe, but I never gave it another thought. What I mean, is that it’s not only you not telling us, it’s us never realising. And we’ve been together for 7, 8, 9 years and we never dug deeper, we should have seen the signs.”

Danny shook his head and grabbed his chin. “Hey, listen to me: there were no real signs. I made damn sure of it, ok?”

“Yeah but…”

“Ok?”

“Yes, fine, but it’s not your fault, either. I know you would not have hesitated to shift if we had been in mortal danger. And the people who needed to know, knew. That’s all that matters to me.” Danny smiled at him before kissing him on the lips, softly, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck. “Let’s just give them some space, ok?” Danny sighed, defeated, and nodded. Steve reached over and pulled the tags out of his hands. “So… It’s the first time I’ve seen the chain.”

Danny chuckled, thankful for Steve’s change of topic. “I promised I’d think about it, didn’t I?”

“Yeah.” He gently tugged on his arm until he could kiss him again. When they pulled apart he put the chain around his neck, flattening his hand against the tags and Danny’s chest, his fingers digging slightly into the muscle, feeling the scar through the shirt. “You know what I want?”

“A rocket launcher?”

“Well, yes, but no.” He leaned closer, whispering in his ear, voice low and seductive, like he Danny liked. “One of these days, now that you are almost healed, I want you to fuck me and I want you to wear your tags. I want to hold them with my teeth while you fuck me, I want to feel them against my skin when you move.”

Danny groaned and dragged him into a filthy kiss, biting on his lower lip and sucking on his tongue. And Steve simply submitted to him, surrendering before the fight had even begun.

“You have a very filthy mind, Commander McGarrett.”

“Mh-hm. And you love it.”

“Very much so.” He kissed him again, Steve still letting him have the upper hand. “How about we send everyone their way and you and I have some fun, hm?”

Steve rolled his eyes before pulling away. “You really are going to kick the kids out for a roll in the sheets?” Danny huffed in reply. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. But I reckon Junior will leave with Tani, Mary said she had rented a hotel and Clara back to your house so…”

“Hm… I like how you think.” 

“I know.” He stood again, extending a hand to help him. “Let’s go back inside, ok? And I want to take a look at your bullet wound again.”

“Ok.” He grabbed his hand and let himself be gently pulled to his feet. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

* * *

They used the smaller bathroom to clean his bullet graze before joining everyone else. When they got there Chin and Kono had left, but Sara was still there. Everyone stayed for another couple of hours before they started cleaning up and then left, and Mary took Sara with her and Joannie, and the Grovers volunteered to drop the kids at Rachel’s.

“Go lie down for a bit, baby.” Steve said.

“I’m not tired. I can help with the clean up.”

“I’ll handle it. Go. Eddie, make sure he stays, ok?” He patted the dog on the head, kissing him and the lab barked before going to Danny.

“Really, Steve?”

“Yeah.” He leaned to press a kiss on his head. “I’ll be out in a bit, ok?”

“Ok, ok, fine. Let’s go pup, we are not wanted here.”

Steve found them lounging on the hammock, Danny rocking softly and using the motion to pet Eddie.

“Is there space for one more?” He asked.

The blond lazily opened one eye. “What do you say Eddie? Should we allow him to join us after he vanished us from the house?” Eddie looked up at Steve first and then at Danny and whined. “You are weak, pup. C’mon superSEAL, it looks like you’ve been forgiven.”

“Thanks, Eddie. Here, take them.” He handed him his pills and a bottle of water. He helped him up and as Danny swallowed them, he lay down first with his hands cupping his own head with his lover making himself at home on top of him, head resting on his shoulder, when he was finished. "Tired?”

Danny hummed, bringing his arms up to tug one of the hands free, interlacing their fingers together. Steve chuckled, but otherwise didn’t react.

If someone had asked him just a year ago if he thought he could ever have this, a day with family and friends, a quiet evening cuddling with his partner by the beach and watching the sunset he would probably have laughed at them, well, maybe not laughed, but he would have thought they were damn crazy.

But he had it. Of course he would prefer that Danny wasn’t hurt, but he was there, he was allowed to take care of him now, he didn’t have to look for excuses to stay at his house. Or to make him come to his place. And even better, he could say outloud how much he loved Danny’s kids without being afraid of being told off or worse, that he couldn’t be around them anymore.

He looked down at his partner and pressed a kiss on his forehead, to which Danny replied by pressing harder against him, a small contented moan escaping his lips.

Steve heard him snore a few minutes later. Not tired, huh? He was probably exhausted after the airport run, dealing with everyone and the cousins reactions to his secret and being in pain and tired from his injuries.

The night had fallen over them when Danny finally stirred, coming back to life and lifting until he was sitting on Steve’s lap, rubbing at his eyes and seriously, a grown ass deadly cop who did boxing and had an amazingly powerful shift should never be this cute. It was not good for Steve’s heart.

“I’m sorry, babe.” He mumbled. “Didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

Steve sat too, careful not to tip them onto the ground. “I don’t care. It means you feel safe around me and that’s everything to me.”

Danny smiled, warm and sleepy and not all there yet, and Steve couldn’t help kissing him, soft and pliant lips against his.

“Of course I feel safe around you. Because you love me, and I love you the most.” Danny replied when they pulled apart. Steve simply nodded, not knowing how to answer. “C’mon SuperSEAL, let’s go back inside.”

“Yeah. Wanna have dinner?”

“Not really, I’m stuffed. Maybe a tea?” Steve hummed in reply, wrapping an arm around his waist to guide him, not sure Danny was completely awake yet and pressed a kiss on top of his head.

"I love you, Danno."

Danny hummed, pressing closer before replying. "Love you too, babe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update today!
> 
> I feel bad for making Chin and Kono this way, but I imagine they would be pretty mad/disappointed at Danny not telling them. Especially when they didn't tell them that they were together, either.


	25. Chapter 25

They had spent the next day lazing around (although Steve did go out for a one hour run with Eddie and Danny did some of his pending paperwork), Mary had taken Joanie and Sara to the beach and promised to drop by for dinner once she left the girls with Chin. Danny had suggested he’d go back to his place, but the side eye he got from Mary had been a very clear message that he would not be going anywhere. 

It was right after lunch and they were out on the lanai, Danny lying on top of Steve, his back was almost back to normal and there was no risk of the wounds reopening if he sat or lie down as one would usually do, but he had just acquired a taste for lying on top of his boyfriend and Steve clearly didn’t mind.

“I’ll go.” Danny said, catching Steve’s wrist when he stirred to the get up. “Sit back, and relax.”

“Ok.” Danny smiled and leaned over to nuzzle against his neck, pressing a kiss where neck met shoulder before standing up.

Danny opened the door and froze for three second before he moved to the side, letting the cousins inside. They stood there for a minute, not knowing how to bring the topic up.

“Danny…” Kono started.

“Steve’s outside.” He interrupted, but he was not having this conversation on his own. “Grab yourselves a beer.” He made a gesture towards the kitchen as he turned around and went to the lanai, sitting down on his chair and he probably smelled tense as fuck, because the second he passed across Steve he opened his eyes and straightened up.

“Baby? What is it?” He grabbed his hand fingers pressing against the inside of his wrist and to an outsider it would look like he was holding him, and Danny knew he was checking his heart rate. He couldn’t tell exactly when, but they had started doing that a few months ago when the other became agitated, usually because of nightmares, and it had come to the point that such a simple contact helped them relax and calm down almost instantly.

“Chin and Kono are here.” He explained. “It’s fine, Steve. We can’t put it off forever.” He added when Steve stood up straighter, looking inside the house.

“I know, I know.” He leaned over the armrest and kissed him on the head.

Chin and Kono came out, both with a beer in hand and silently sat down in front of them and if they noticed the way Steve was holding Danny’s hand, or how Danny wasn’t pulling away, they didn’t even arch an eyebrow.

“We… came to apologise.” Chin said and squirmed when Steve glared at them because damn right they were here to apologise. He didn’t care if they were ohana or not, if they thought they could hurt Danny like that and walk away, they were sorely mistaken. “We are sorry about our reaction. It took us by surprise, we had never even suspected it even though, looking back, there were times we should have at least questioned it.”

“Yeah, Danny.” Kono said, gingerly, as he sat on the edge of her chair. “We… understand why you did. We do. We hadn't been expecting it and we overreacted. And I’m sorry at how poorly I reacted. I  _ know _ you trust us. I’m sorry.” She reached out, extending her hand and Danny had never been able to deny her anything, just like Stella, Matty and Bri, so he took it and squeezed, being rewarded with a small, watery smile.

Danny swallowed. "I wanted to. So many times, I wanted to tell the three of you. To really be pack and…"

"You were!" The three of them exclaimed at once. Kono squeezed his hands. "Danny, you always were. Human or shifter, it didn't matter, you already were pack."

"Yeah baby, it never mattered to us, we loved you for you." He tipped his head back and pressed a quick kiss on his lips.

Chin nodded along. "And we should have understood better. We know you, we know you wouldn't have hid it from us if you really didn't think it was necessary."

After their heartfelt conversation they found themselves drinking beer, laughing at their earliest memories of working together. 

“You still haven’t told us your shift, Danny. And we didn't have time to read it on tye tags.” Kono said after a while when he stood up to get them another round of beers.

“Oh yeah, you are right.” He grinned at her but didn't offer an actual answer, he simply pulled Steve to his feet. “Come help, babe.” Steve grinned and followed him inside, kissing his head when he walked past him to the fridge.

“You sure you're alright to shift, baby?” He questioned, setting the beers on the counter and wrapping an arm around his waist. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“I’m fine, babe. You know my back is fine and the graze on my arm is almost healed, too.” He pressed a short kiss on his lips and Steve sighed into it, knowing his partner was right: shifters healed a lot faster than non-shifters. “Shift with me?” He said as he turned around.

“Always. You know Kono is going to pet you like crazy, right?”

“And why do you think I’m shifting, hm?” He winked at him before taking his shirt off, flexing his back muscles a bit more than necessary, but he knew exactly how much Steve liked that and he knew he was right when he groaned.

He waited until Steve shifted too and then walked right into his space, pushing his nose on his neck and sniffing. He had missed shifting with Steve, it wasn’t the same when only one of them was in animal form. And he could tell Steve missed it too because he curled around him almost instantly.

“If you two are making out in the kitchen, next lunch is one you!” Kono yelled, so they pulled apart, huffing.

Steve took the case with his mouth and followed Danny outside.

Danny barked when he got outside, sitting a few feet away from them and wagging his tail. Steve walked past him, settling on his chair again, thankful that it was on the shadowy section, otherwise his fur would get really hot really quick. He watched how the cousins took a few seconds to process who the dog was.

“Danny!?” They shot up from their chairs at the same time and knelt down in front of the mixed breed dog, Kono reaching out first, Danny eagerly agreeing to be petted by leaning into her hands, licking Chin’s when he raised his, too. “God Danny, you are so beautiful.” Steve barked in agreement. 

Chin didn’t say anything, too busy at rubbing his head and ears.

They were mesmerised by his form, but Steve couldn’t judge, because every time he saw Danny in paws he felt like his breath was knocked out of him, he was so beautiful, it should be a crime that he had to hide it for so long. But maybe he was a bit biased.

“How about we shift too, cuz?” Kono asked, her hands still busy running up and down Danny’s flank. Danny and Steve barked at once, clearly on board with the plan.

They had all turned around when Kono shifted inside the water, turning around again when she squeaked at them, Steve going after her in seconds, Chin and Danny deciding to stay closer to the shore, Danny treading softly and Chin just… floating there.

After a while the Native man decided he had had enough of floating and curled himself around Danny’s neck without adding any pressure, just so he could rest his head on top of the dog’s.

Some time later their crazy members came back, so Danny headed back to shore, Chin still resting on top of him and only sliding off so Danny could shake himself dry and sliding on top of him again before the mainlander plopped down on the wet sand, the gentle waves crashing against him. After a couple of minutes Steve joined them, staring at them contemplative before nuzzling Danny on the side until the mixed shifter raised his head, letting Steve set his head between his paws, the ex-SEAL’s second favourite position, but deciding that Danny getting bonding time with the cousins was more important than his comfort. Kono had set herself next to Danny, most of her body still in the water. Not that it mattered much since she could just shift back whenever she wanted.

And Danny was in bliss because this was the first time he had been able to truly bond with his chosen pack, it was the first time he didn’t have to keep anything secret from them, from his shift to his feelings for Steve, he had nothing left to hide. Steve moved until he was on his side, facing Danny so he could borrow into his heat, loving the way he was so relaxed and how good he smelled now that he was free to be who he really was.

They would have stayed there for longer, but Chin’s phone going off interrupted them, so the cousins shifted back while Steve and Danny decided to remain in paws, following them into the house once they had gotten dressed.

“If you are free-ish on Thursday around lunch time, do you want to meet? We need to tell you something but we have a lot of family to visit before.” Chin said as he knelt on the floor, petting Danny again as Kono busied herself by giving them both scratches.

The two dogs looked at each other and then Steve nodded. “Alright. We’ll... come pick you up?” Another nod. “We’ll get out of your hair, then.” She pressed a kiss on both of their heads and stood up, tugging Chin to follow her. “I’m sure Danny will let you pet him when we see him again, cuz, let’s go, we need to pick the girls.”

“I know, I know. See you guys.” They both barked, following them to the door, tails wagging softly.

Once the door clicked shut, Danny went back outside, dragging their bed to the shadow and settling down, sighing when Steve settled on top of him. God, he had missed this so so much. 

* * *

Mary had said she would bring take away for dinner, not wanting them to cook, so when she arrived she found them both still in their shift form and instantly dropped to her knees to pet them. She had seen Danny more than once in his animal body, but it had always been on video, snuggling up to Steve and not really participating on the conversation except for a few woofs here and there.

After a few more minutes they both went upstairs and shifted back, coming back down dressed in jeans and T-shirts.

Dinner had been light and fun with Mary teasing her brother about being a softie when it came to Danny when she saw how much he was leaning into him. However, what she didn’t know was that Steve curling into himself and then into Danny was something he only did when a) he was comfortable enough to show his love (unadulterated, unrestrained) around the people they were with (which really meant the team and their kids) or b) he wanted Danny to fuck him, but lovingly, sweetly, not hard and fast like they did some other times, this time he wanted Danny to take his time with him, to tear him apart and put him back together.

Danny didn’t know for sure which one was it, but his money was on  _ b _ .

He was brought out of his reverie when Mary shifted on the armchair in that same way his boyfriend did when he wanted to ask for something and he wasn’t sure he had a right to ask for it. “I… need to ask you something.” She said after dinner, the two siblings nursing normal beers while Danny was stuck with the alcohol-free ones that for some reason they still had.

Steve moved to look at her, but still remained glued to Danny and yeah, his money was safe on b.

“What is it, Mare?” 

She ran her hands down the length of her dress, chewing on her lip before looking up. “I've been thinking. For a long time, I didn’t wake up one day and thought it was a cool idea, just so you know.” She said because she was aware the men in front of her, especially her brother, thought that she was reckless in her life and didn’t give things much thought. But she had changed the second she adopted her beautiful daughter, and she needed them to know that.

“Ok, about what?”

“I… I want to come back home.” She announced, not looking at either of them and it was only years of knowing his partner that Danny lifted his arm in time before Steve dragged him off the sofa and onto his ass on the floor in his haste to stand up and go to his baby sister, enveloping her in a huge hug.

Steve couldn’t believe it, he had asked Mary so many times to come back to Hawaii and she had always said she’d think about it but that she wasn’t sure because life in Hawaii was expensive and she had Joannie to think about, too. But she wanted to come back! The last of his blood pack was coming home. Or the one that counted. He suddenly understood why Danny wanted Clara to come to the islands with him.

“For real?” He asked when he let her go, but still took her hand in his.

“Yeah. I had an interview this morning at a Youth Centre in Waikiki.” She confessed. “They said I could start in two weeks.”

Steve hugged her again, laughing and kissing her now again blond head: she had come such a long way from the woman she had been 9 years ago, always expecting her brother to solve the problems she caused for her. “You are amazing, Mare.” He muttered. “I love you. I love you so much.”

She smiled at him before returning the hug. “I love you too, Steve.” She mumbled.

Danny couldn’t resist the urge of snapping a picture of them together since it was a fairly strange sight, neither of the siblings was big on huge displays of emotion and he knew they would both like to have it. It was also great teasing material. 

Just as he put his phone away Mary looked up, extending a hand towards him, making a grabby motion, so he went with them, curling one arm around each siblings. “Love you too, Danny.”

“Love you, Mary.”


	26. Chapter 26

**“Love you, Mary.”** He kissed her head and she almost started crying, because not only did Danny give her her big brother back (and there was no real question there, she knew that Danny had poked and proved until Steve called her, all those years ago), he had become one, too. Warm, caring, always with advice to give when it came to kids, and a great, great listener when he wanted. And he had given them a mom, one that cared and called every week to check on them, remembered them on birthdays and Christmases and sent gifts every single year. She had given her nephews and older sisters who called to gossip about this and that, with whom she FaceTimed to talk about their favourite shows.

People that loved them, unconditionally.

She pulled away from them before she did start crying. Steve kissed her head again before standing up, Danny following and letting Steve manhandle him in the position he preferred them to be in, which resulted in Steve sitting sideways, his legs across Danny’s lap and tucked under the blond’s arm, head resting on his shoulder. Danny pressed a kiss on his forehead before turning to Mary.

“Do you need help with anything?”

“I uh… I’m gonna need a place to stay until I can sell Aunt Deb’s house in California and I was wondering if… I could stay here?”

“Junes lives here too, though.” Danny mused, scratching the side of his head.

“Oh.” She had forgotten about that little detail. “It’s fine, I’m sure I can find some cheap rental for the time being and…”

“It’s alright Mare.” Steve interrupted her before looking up at his lover. “Junior mentioned the other day at work that he’s going to move in with Tani.”

“And you didn’t tell me? What the hell, Steven?” He exclaimed, pulling away, kind of understanding how Chin and Kono felt. 

“Sorry baby, I forgot. But yeah, you can move in Mary. Joanie can use the guest room and you can keep the master bedroom.”

She cocked her head to the side. “What about you two?”

“We can move to Danny’s for a couple of weeks. We might come some afternoons to go to the beach with the kids. Or just us.”

“Yeah, of course Steve, it’s still your house. Thank you.” She smiled at them before a question popped in her head. “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, how come you haven’t moved in together? I know you guys are ‘new’, but you’ve known each other for ages and clearly can’t bear to be apart.”

Danny shrugged. “Sometimes we prefer to come here for the beach, sometimes my house feels too small for me with Ma, and Eddie, and us there. Some other times he needs to be away from here, too many memories.” He explained. 

“I don’t think we’d ever be able to only settle in one place.” Steve added. “And we like this coming and going anyways.” 

She nodded, understanding before she stood up, walking up to them. “I’m really happy you two finally found your way to each other.” She ran a hand through her brother’s hair. “Have you talked with Kono and Chin?”

Danny nodded. “They came by today afternoon after lunch.” He explained. “And we talked.”

She nodded, understanding where the cousins had been coming from: She had only found out because Steve had been FaceTiming her and Joannie and Danny had just happened to come inside in paws and settle on Steve’s lap, thinking he couldn’t be seen.

For a second she had thought he was having visions, so when she stuttered, asking what was going on, Danny had gone on alert almost instantly, but Steve had simply hugged him closer, muttering something that had had Danny nodding. And then Steve told them since Danny didn’t shift back.

Joannie had been over the moon that there was someone else she knew like her and that had also been something that had helped her decision to moving back to Hawaii: she knew why Danny didn’t tell anyone, it was the same reason she only allowed Joannie to shift in their house, why she didn’t let her wear her tags out.

She had consulted different experts and they all agreed that her being stealth would be the best option, at least while she was still a kid. She had stopped shifting as much, not wanting her daughter to feel like she was being punished, but learning that there was someone she trusted with her life that could help Joannie, meant everything to her. And not only that, it also meant that Charlie and Gracie were part like Joan, she had someone her age that could relate with.

But that was something that would come up in later conversations.

“I should get going, I still need to pick Joannie from Rachel’s.”

“Have you told her yet?”

“I… said it was a possibility. I’ll tell her tomorrow afternoon.”

“Come by next Friday if you want, we’ll have the kids and I know they’ll be happy about the news.” Steve said, smiling and rising to hug her, Danny going with him.

“Okay. Thank you for everything guys. Good night.”

They walked her to the door and damn if that wasn’t domestic.

At least they didn’t wave goodbye.

As soon as they slid into bed Danny pinned Steve and kissed him with everything he got, smiling at the long, needy mewl Steve let out. 

“I can’t today, pills are still making me a bit loopy, but as soon as I’m off them on Tuesday, I’ll fuck you however you want, yeah?”

* * *

When Steve made it home on Tuesday he was gifted by Danny on paws, playing with Eddie by the shore and he felt a grin spread on his face: if Danny was playing with their excitable dog it meant he was feeling fine. That he was fine, no more pain or whinces when he stretched a little bit too much, no more nights waking up because his back was on fire, _no more Danny in pain._ He just hoped that didn't mean no more Danny lying on top of him because that had been a surprise, liking Danno's weight on top of him, and it was even that it grounded him, not on normal days, at least, he just _liked_ it, but he had never really liked it when Catherine did that, but Danno... Danno belonged there.

He turned to look at him, and it was then that he spotted the note on the table.

**_Coming back to work tomorrow. Now come outside with me._ **

With a grin on his face he removed his clothes and shifted, going to find his boyfriend, jumping on him as soon as he could, licking his face because after two long weeks he was back by his side, where he belonged! And he had missed him so much!

Danny woofed before turning the tables on him and pinning him down, grinning before he settled on top of him, clearly with no intention to move, and really, Steve was all too happy to just stay there with him, nipping at his ear and pushing his nose against his neck, Danny doing the same.

After a while they went back to the house, plopping down on their dog bed in their normal position, Steve sighing happily when he settled his head on top of Danny’s back: God, he had missed this so much.

Eddie came back after a while and approached them, waiting to be invited to the puppy pile, a great disrespect if he just assumed he could get in without permission, cuddling next to them when Steve woofed at him. 

After about fifteen minutes, the pup looked up at them when he sensed them looking at him and then he smiled, his tail wagging fast, showing his obvious happiness at being allowed with them before laying down again, clearly content and everything right in his world .

Danny blinked as realisation hit him in the face like a train: when on earth did  _ Eddie _ become their son? How did that even happen? Steve growled at him so he would stop moving, which he did, but how the hell he hadn’t seen it before was baffling.

* * *

“Did you know?” Danny asked when Steve came into the kitchen, freshly showered after having gone for a long swim and looking good enough to eat in dark jeans and shirtless. That was a sight he would always love.

“About?”

“Eddie.”

Steve blinked at those words, not having a clue of what, or who, for that matter, was his boyfriend talking about. “Your dad or our dog?”

“Dog.” He turned away from the stove all walked right into Steve space’, wrapping his arms around his neck, smiling when Steve wrapped his around his waist. “When on earth did he become our son, babe? I mean, the way he was acting today…”

“Oh. That.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m not sure, but I guess it happened when you started shifting more and more around here. Junior did mention he followed you around more than usual, but we thought it was the novelty of having you around so much in paws.”

“Right. And...?”

Steve shrugged. “You attract kids Danno, always have. Especially if they need a parent. I mean, Junes, Tani, Adam… All the kids we have had to help over the years. So Eddie imprinting on you wasn’t much of a surprise, if you ask me.” No, it probably wasn’t, but it still baffled him that he had taken that long to realise it. “Does it bother you?”

“No, not really. I just didn’t see it.” He replied, kissing his cheek. “But I’m not the one who attracts strays, babe, that’s on you. Me, ChinHo, Lou… And Junes came to you.”

Steve smiled at those words. “Yeah, he came to me, but I’m not the one he calls when his dad acts like an asshole. Or when he has trouble with paperwork.”

Danny snorted at that, stepping away and returning to the stove. “That’s because you are useless at paperwork. That reminds me, we need to go through the budget one before I send it to Mahoe in two days. I’ve already started it.”

The taller man groaned, taking a beer out of the fridge. “You were on medical leave baby, you shouldn’t have been anywhere  _ near  _ reports.” He didn’t need to see Danny’s face to know he was rolling his eyes at him. “And I know you were working on the requisions the other morning while I was out.”

“I wasn’t keeping it a secret babe. I’m just bored and sick of being holed up at home, yours or mine, ok? And going through reports is not going to give me an injury. A headache at most with how terrible you all are.”

Steve smiled and pressed a kiss on his head. “I know, I’m sorry. The doctor gave you the ok to go back to the field?”

“Yup. I’m good as new.”

“That’s great.” He plastered a kiss on his temple before worrying the top of his ear with his teeth. “I’ve missed you by my side.”

“Missed you at home, too.”

He had been out for no more than two weeks but neither of them had ever been good at staying at home, especially not when injured unless they were knocked out by meds and he had started to grow restless since the moment his back was almost healed. 

“Tani said we should go out to celebrate tomorrow that you are coming back.” 

“Sounds good to me.” He cocked his head to the side, giving Steve more room to work when his lips descended to his neck. “You are awfully touchy today.” He pointed out, but his tone was warm and loving and Steve finally understood that didn’t mean he was to pull away.

“Hm… I love you so much, Danno.”

“Love you too, babe.” He wrapped a hand around his wrist, bringing it up to his mouth to drag his lips over his lover’s dry knuckles. “Hey, Steve.” He said, turning off the stove.

“Hm?”

“I’m off the meds. And dinner will keep until later.” He felt the effect his words had on his lover almost instantly: Steve slumped over his back, letting out a deep sigh of relief and want. “Let’s go to bed, love, and I’ll give you whatever you need.”

He didn’t need to say it twice, because even before he had finished talking Steve was already tugging him upstairs. Danny chuckled at the earnesty, but put up no resistance. Once they were in their room, Danny locked the door, out of habit really since they were alone, and turned around. 

He smiled when he saw Steve sitting on the bed, waiting. Without a word he walked up to him, cupping his face in his hands and kissing him, deeply and lovingly, drawing out a needy whimper from his man.

“What do you want, babe? What do you  _ need _ ?” He asked.

Steve pulled him closer, until he could press his face against his abs, rubbing his forehead on the hard, furry muscles. “Need you in me, over me, around me. No teasing.”

“Not even a little bit?” Because for all his complaining about it, Steve loved it when Danny drawed it out and denied him an immediate orgasm.

Steve grunted before looking up, his eyes already glazed with lust and longing. “Maybe a little bit.” He conceded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much like the Fix-It this is the last update for a couple of week but I will keep updating the Depessed!Danny fic.


	27. Chapter 27

**Steve grunted before looking up, his eyes already glazed with lust and longing. “Maybe a little bit.” He conceded.**

Danny nodded before running his hands down his neck, to his shoulder and down his sides until he reached the hem of the shirt, gently pulling it up, Steve following the motion by fluidly raising his arms, which earned him another kiss.

“Scoot over a bit for me, love.” He said, his voice so gentle and warm, filling Steve with love, as he guided him to the centre of the bed. “Lay down.”

Once he had Steve like he wanted him, he moved until he was on all four, hovering over him.

“You are so beautiful, Steven.” He praised him, peppering kisses on his shoulders and neck, nimble fingers caressing his side. “But your soul, and your heart, are the most beautiful things about you.” He gently moved his head to the side, moving the chain holding his dog-tags aside and sucking where his shoulder and neck met, feeling him tremble under him. “And you are mine.”

Steve moaned at those four words, at the mouth marking him, his arms coming up to tug at Danny’s shirt. “Yours. Mine, too.”

“Yeah, all yours.” Danny agreed as he moved to kneel over him, pulling his shirt and throwing it somewhere in the room and Steve sucked in a sharp breath at the tags, glistening against Danny’s chest hair. “You said you wanted to bite them, didn’t you?” Danny questioned, his hands travelling from his stomach to Steve’s nipples, thumbing both at the same time, making him arch into his touch, a total display of trust.

“Yeah.” The brunette moaned. “Thank you, Danno.”

“Anything for you, babe.” He kept playing with his hardening nubs as he pressed a loving kiss on his cheek.

“God, Danny…” He breathed, his hands wrapped around the strong forearms, trying to ground himself: he had been longing for this for almost a week and now that he had it he didn't want to miss a single second of it. “More…”

“Of course, love.” He peppered more kisses on his neck, going down to his nipples, latching onto one of them and moaning when Steve let go of his arms to bury both hands on his blond hair, musing it up and tugging, just the way he knew Danny loved.

Steve had sat him down a few days after their first time, making it very clear that he was in for everything that didn’t include restrains or pain, that anything else they would have to talk about it (and hadn’t that been a trip, Steve offering to talk) and after that they had become so much more comfortable in their sex lives, bringing up toys and dirty talking when they were feeling like it. They avoided restrains because it brought back too many bad memories for both of them and they got enough pain at work as it was, though that didn’t mean they didn’t make the other hold the slats and not move, or got a little rougher with their pinching and biting, but never impact play. Never anything the other had banned.

Danny kissed the bullet scars on his side before descending more, nipping and sucking all the way to Steve’s hardening cock. He pressed a kiss on the head but continued down, settling his mouth on his inner thighs. He rested his cheek there for a couple of seconds but he just loved the feel of the supple yet hard muscles, the skin was soft there, the musky smell he liked so much.

He sucked on it, leaving a huge, dark hickey behind, but who else would see it there? Certainly not the team or his kids. This was for them only.

Gently, he pushed Steve’s knee down to the mattress, leaving him open for him to admire and spoil and properly love like he deserved. He trailed kisses upwards again dragged his tongue under his now hard cock, sucking on his balls and chuckling when he arched off the bed with a muttered curse.

He was always so wonderfully responsive.

“Danny, you promised, no teasing…” Steve moaned when the pleasure was too much, too intense, threading his fingers through his lover’s golden locks again.

“Wow, you are needy today. And I haven’t even started yet.” But even as he said so, he pulled up until he could kiss him again and soft and warm and it made Steve’s stomach clench and toes curl because being treated with so much love, respect and adoration was the best feeling in the world if you asked him.

“Please Danno.” He mumbled, nuzzling the side of his head. “I need you, c’mon Danny.” If there was one thing Steve knew how to do was beg while still sounding like he was giving orders.

Danny rolled his eyes, but still kissed him again. “Ok, ok.” He stretched over him to get to the night stand to retrieve the lube.

Or he tried, because Steve wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pushed him down on top of him, gluing their fronts together, a deep, satisfied sigh escaping his lips. Danny blinked, confused, before he understood: it wasn’t just sex that Steve was after but also feeling grounded in the most literal sense and in those last two weeks he had worked out Steve enjoyed having him laying on top of him. Massively so.

“Oh babe, you know you can ask for anything you need...” He mumbled before pressing hot kisses on his chin, throat, shoulder, whatever he could reach as he let all of his weight rest on Steve, hands squeezing his arms and side, legs tangled together, cocks pressed hard, both of them rutting against the other, grunting and moaning against damp skin, all senses filled with the other man.

It felt amazing.

The fact that Danny didn’t even question his needs and wants, that he just fulfilled them to the best of his abilities made Steve tremble. After a few more minutes he slowly released him, fully aware that his shoulder was probably going to be peppered with small purple bruises.

“Better, love?” Danny asked as he moved to hands and knees again.

“Yeah. Thank you.” He wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and brought him down for a bruising kiss, trying to bring back the heat and judging by how Danny groaned he very much succeeded at that. He snaked a hand down, wrapping it around Danny’s hot, leaking cock, which caused Danny to rip himself away to moan, hips thrusting involuntarily.

“Fuck, Steve.”

“Yeah, let’s fuck Steve.” He replied as he stretched to grab the lube before basically throwing it to his lover who was, still, rolling into his hand, slow, measured and so, so fucking hot. “God, Danno.” He squeezed hard before letting go.

Danny pushed his thighs up and grinned at him. “Hold yourself for me, babe.” He said as he wedged a pillow under his lower back and Steve complied in the next second, exposing himself to Danny, moaning when blunt fingers caressed his balls, applying minimal pressure.

“Gorgeous.” He mumbled, reverent. He popped the lube open with his mouth and dripped some on his fingers, warming it up a bit before circling his lover’s entrance.

“Hmm…” Steve wiggled at the feeling: he had missed it so much. Not the sex itself, which yeah, was always amazing, but giving himself up to Danno.

Danny smiled at the image in front of him as he sunk the first digit into Steve: he looked so relaxed, his beautiful blue hazel eyes closed, his head slightly tipped back, his back arching a little bit and holding himself open for him.

When Steve started to meet his finger back he slipped the second one, smiling at the choked off moan that earned him. After a few more minutes he had three fingers inside of him and Steve seemed to be in heaven.

“Babe, you good?”

“Yes, yes, God yes, Danny.” He moaned when Danny retrieved his fingers.

Danny wiped his fingers clean and used more lube on his cock, his breath stuttering when he squeezed himself maybe a bit harder than was necessary. He left one last kiss on Steve’s knee, smiling at him, gaining a blinding grin from the ex-SEAL in response.

“Bring your legs down, babe.” He whispered.

Steve obeyed, flexing his fingers to regain some feel on them before he wrapped them around Danny’s forearms. “C’mon Danny.”

“God you are whiny today.” He mumbled, that teasing glint in his eyes sparkling.

“Fuck!” Steve groaned when Danny pressed in, slowly, but never stopping. He tightened his grip on him, arching his back in pleasure.

God, Danno definitely felt bigger today. Not that he was complaining, no sir. As soon as Danny’s hips were snug against his butt he wrapped his legs around him.

“Don’t worry love, I’m not going anywhere.” He grinned at him before he went down to rest on one of his arms, offering the chain still around his neck with his free hand. “Here babe, try not to break them please. I don’t need extra paperwork.”

Steve nodded before opening his mouth and taking the tags into his mouth, moaning at the heat they irradiated.  _ Danny’s  _ heat. He twirled his mouth around them, munching softly on them, feeling the engraved inscription.

“Hmm!” Danny had started moving, slowly at first, like he always did to make sure he wasn’t hurting him and once he was sure there were no traces of pain on his face he would build up a rhythm and sometimes, like today, it was so hard that the bed rattled.

He was so glad that Danny had chosen a long chair, coming to rest right under his ribs, still not a hundred percent sure of having them out all the time.

“Fuck babe, you look amazing like this. Sucking on my oh babe, tags, ta-taking my cock deep inside you.” He mumbled, moans interrupting his speech, but it just felt so good to be like this with Steve again. And to be able to take care of him again.

They were so gone it didn’t take long until they both came, arching into each other, Steve staining both their stomachs as Danny pulled out, cumming against his thigh. And even then, Steve didn’t let go of the tags.

He didn’t even let go when Danny collapsed next to him.

Danny cuddled close after he had scrubbed him clean with a tissue and thrown the pillow under Steve on the floor, setting his head on Steve’s pillow, resting a hand on his chest, one thigh coming to Steve’s hip.

“Did it feel good? Was that what you needed?” He questioned. Steve nodded, still keeping the tags on his mouth. “I’m glad. Let’s rest for a bit and then shower and dinner?”

“Shoundsh good Danno.” He replied, grinning at him.

“And you sound ridiculous.” He pushed up on one elbow, arching an eyebrow. “Can I have my tags back, babe?”

And a storm of emotions crossed Steve’s face: he didn’t want to. Not yet, at least. He liked knowing he was allowed to do that to something so personal as shifter dog tags, he liked knowing Danny let him do it.

“Not yet? Pleash?”

Danny let out a put-upon sigh, shaking his head before flopping down to the bed again. “I spoil you too much, really.”

“Becaush you love me.” Steve grinned at him and Danny’s heart jumped at that image: he looked so much younger when he smiled like that, all the pain Joe, Doris and Wo Fat put him through disappearing from his face.

He kissed him on the cheek. “Yup. I love you very, very much.” And with the look Steve gave him Danny knew his SEAL would be wagging his tail like crazy if he was on paws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are back!! And nearing the end, too, sadly, because this one was so much fin to write


	28. Chapter 28

**He kissed him on the cheek. “Yup. I love you very, very much.” And with the look Steve gave him Danny knew his SEAL would be wagging his tail like crazy if he was on paws.**

“Danny!” Tani threw herself on him, making a pretty good imitation of a snake trying to strangle him. Or an overexcited puppy who hadn’t seen their owner in days.

“Are you sure you are a cat, kid?” He asked when she released him.

“Cats can be affectionate too, Daniel.” Steve said, urging them both to go inside and not stay in the middle of the hallway.

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Mr. Adorable little ninjas who adopted a dog and a pup but has no cat.” Danny replied.

“I thought we agreed Eddie followed you more than he did me.”

“Yeah, but I never said cats were the “superior animal”, did I? Nor am I Eddie’s owner.” He shot back.

“I missed this so much.” Tani interrupted them.

“I did not. It was so quiet around here these days.” Lou complained, but even so gathered Danny into a hug. “It is so good to have you back. One more week with McGarrett alone and I would have shot my own food to go on leave.”

“Oh, you think he is bad now? You should have seen him when we started.” Danny replied as he moved to hug the next one, Junior. “And you better have behaved yourself and not followed his footsteps, kid.”

“Yes sir.” But the huff coming from Lou behind him told him everything he needed to know.

“Steven, stop corrupting the kids. It was bad enough that you turned Kono into a mini-you.”

It was good to be back home, he thought as Steve said something back.

* * *

In the end they had to move their lunch with the cousins from Thursday to dinner on Saturday because of course a new cartel had to come and make themselves known to the Island by selling spoiled cocaine that landed people in the hospital at best, and with Noelani at worst.

Danny was still complaining that they could have done that when he was on leave, because there was so much paperwork involved on drug bust cases, because Steve had made it a point that everyone had to have their reports on top condition, including his own, when it came to cases that would more likely make it to the news.

But then on Saturday morning Steve had let his lover sleep in mainly because they had been going to bed really late and to top it off Danny’s insomnia had kicked in, which meant he went by with no more than three hours of sleep at a time. He pressed a kiss on his head before he left for the supermarket to stock up.

They were alone at Danny’s (well with Eddie, but no other humans in the house), Clara having gone to Laie for the weekend with a group of friends she had made (and yes Adam, they really had run background on every single one of her new friends, just in case and no, Tani, she didn’t need to know) so he bought everything he thought Danny would need to make dinner: onions, fresh tomatoes (he did not need another 30 minute rant about the use fresh tomatoes versus canned tomatoes on special meals), more garlic, pork mince, beef mince, pancetta, eggs, more pasta, white wine, red wine and more chili flakes, because he was sure they were running low on those at either Danny’s or his place.

Oh, and turmeric. They had used the last of it at his place last week. Who knew Danny could cook more stuff than Italian.

When he came back he found him sitting on the counter, staring at his glass of orange juice and that was slightly weird, because Danny never started his day with something that wasn't caffeinated. 

“You gotta drink it for it to get into you, baby.” He said as he left the bags on the counter. “Good morning.”

“Hm…” He leaned towards him, tipping his head back, obviously asking for a kiss that was given straight away. “Where did you go?” He rested his forehead on his shoulder.

“Supermarket. You are going to need food if you want to make dinner, Danno.” He replied, wrapping his arms around his sleepy mate. massaging the know on his shoulder. “How much did you sleep last night?”

“Eh, usual.” Meaning another two or three hours.

“You should have woken me up.” He reproached: they had been doing so good at the beginning of their relationship, but now some days Danny would prefer to let him sleep than to wake him up for some snuggles. And while he loved him for his consideration and care, he hated that he did it all the same. He would rather sacrificed a few minutes of sleep for his partner than not have him almost crash in the kitchen before 10am on a Saturday.

Danny shook his head. “You needed to sleep, too. I promise I will wake you if I have trouble again tonight, ok?" He paused for a second before looking up. "I want to take a nap.”

“Ok.” He nuzzled his blond hair before he pulled away. “Drink the juice, c’mon.”

“Hmm… Do you have plans for today?”

“Other than staying here with you and doing some cleaning up and laundry? No. Why?”

Danny hummed again before tugging him down, kissing him again. “Cuddle me?”

Steve blinked a couple times, surprised: it wasn’t often that Danny asked for cuddling in such a forward way, he would usually just do it, initiating contact first, wrapping himself around Steve and snuggling close, Steve always picking up on the mood and acting accordingly, which usually meant a lot of head nuzzles and kisses. Those were probably Danny's favourite cuddles.

It was still early, barely past 9.30am, and Danny usually preferred to cuddle in the evening, but then again, he had gone straight into a brutal case right after being on leave for two weeks and with his insomnia kicking after the first night, in it was no wonder he felt loopy as fuck. And probably a bit touch starved, Steve knew he felt like it.

“Of course, baby." He easily agreed. "Finish this first, though. Where do you wanna go? Outside?”

Danny shook his head. “Sofa.”

“Okay.” He kissed the side of his head before he went back to the bags, putting everything away. "Do you want me to shift?"

Danny shrugged. "I just want you near me, I don't care about what form you are in." Steve nodded, deciding to stay human, he wanted to hold Danny close, and that was kind of hard to do when he had paws instead of arms and hands.

A few minutes later they were on the now opened sofa, Danny laying on top of him (and he was so glad Danny was still doing it even though he wasn’t injured anymore), his arms resting by Steve’s sides and breathing deeply, not asleep yet, but in that state where everything felt like a dream. He wrapped his arms around the broad shoulders and nuzzled his head.

“Sleep baby, I’ll wake you up in a couple of hours, ok?”

“Yeah… Thank you, babe. Love you.”

“I love you, too.” He whispered back.

Danny nodded and with Steve under him (warm, happy, safe), the breeze coming in from the open window, the gentle lub-dub of Steve’s heart and the deft fingers dancing on his back he was out like a light.

Steve patted the sofa when Eddie came back inside and then he had two blonds surrounding him in an incidental puppy pile and well, he fell asleep too because whether he liked it or not, he was getting old and running on little to no sleep wasn’t as easy as it used to be, and with Danny’s and Eddie’s combined heat it was impossible not to relax and feel at home.

And there wasn’t much else he could do anyways.

Not that he wanted.

* * *

“Hmm… Eddie, stop moving.” Steve said when a paw stabbed him on the thigh.

“Oof, Eddie!” Danny exclaimed when the dog walked all over his legs and thighs. Eddie looked at him as he got to the floor, all huge sad eyes and Danny simply sighed, before flopping to his side, cuddling close to Steve, one leg and one arm thrown over him. “Ugh. Go, go. But come back, ok?”

“Woof.” Was all the answer he got before Eddie went outside, his nails clicking all the way. They needed to get them trimmed, Danny thought.

Steve rolled too, settling on his side so he could look at Danny. “And you wonder why he imprinted on you?” Steve questioned, drawing him closer for a kiss.

“I guess you do have a point…” He moved even closer, settling his head right under Steve’s chin. “Thanks babe. Best sleep I’ve had in a week.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He scratched behind his ear. “You can sleep some more if you want.”

“No, I like this.” He mumbled, lips grazing Steve's pulse, smirking when it picked up. "Looks like you like it, too."

“Hm, of course I do. I like _you_ a whole lot.” Steve replied, rolling him onto his back, hovering over him. “Especially when you are like this.”

“Uh-huh. Like what?”

“Soft, warm, sleepy… Like a puppy.” He replied, nosing his neck and breathing deeply before pulling away to look at him. “Smelling like us.”

“Neanderthal.” Danny simply said before tugging him down and kissing him, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Wanna go for a hike tomorrow morning?” He suggested.

“Paws?”

“Of course, babe.” Danny offered him his neck again, knowing how much Steve liked to nip on it.

“Can we take the kids next time, too? I was thinking maybe they’d like to go to Grandma's beach?”

“I’m sure they will. Now, can we stop talking about them, please?”

“Yeah.” Steve leaned down to kiss him again.

* * *

“Hm… Whatever you are making smells amazing.” Kono said as soon as she went inside the house, going straight for the kitchen. “Ziti?”

“Yep.”

“Steve, I’m going to steal Danny from you. I had forgotten how good he was in the kitchen.” She said, taking the beer offered to her, Chin chuckling behind her.

“Over my dead body, Kalakaua.” Steve growled, and even though he knew she was joking, he still wrapped himself around Danny, clearly staking a claim.

“And I hate to remind you, that I don’t belong to either of you.” But he still leaned against Steve’s solid weight. “At least Chin is civilised.” He said, knocking their beers together. “Also, you are really early.”

“We had nothing else to do.” Chin simply said.

They stayed in the kitchen doing small talk while Danny finished chopping and sautéing everything. Once the tomatoes were simmering away he turned around.

“This is going to need a good while, we can go outside if you want.” He said as he lowered the flame.

“Yeah!” Kono and Steve were out the door before Chin and Danny had even moved. “He’s an overgrown puppy, let me tell you.” Danny muttered.

“Makes you wonder how he was when he was an actual puppy, doesn’t it?” Chin said, smirking.

“A nightmare, I’m sure. And I think Mary will gladly tattle on him for the right price of watching Joannie for a couple of nights.” They sat down next to them around the small table. “So, what is it that you needed to tell us?”

“Damn Danny, straight to the point, huh?” Kono chuckled.

“Hey, we’ve had to wait almost a week for it, so yeah, we kind of really want to know.” Steve was nodding along, his arm around his mate once more.

“Hm. Hardly seems fair, but ok.” Chin said, a smile on his face so they knew everything was forgotten and forgiven. “We’ve been thinking. A lot. And talking maybe as much.”

“Okaaay? About?” Chin had the ability to be the sneakiest one when it came to talking, his calm face never breaking. Unless they were drinking and playing poker, then he became an open book.

The two cousins glanced at each and Chin nodded, letting her say it, knowing how much she needed to say it so it finally sunk on her head what they were about to do.

“We’ve decided to come back!” Kono exclaimed, smiling at them, because working with the FBI on a case that meant so much to her? It had been great, a great experience with greater results, but after so long away from home, she needed to come back. She needed her ohana close again, wanted to have her two favourite haoles around her again.

Steve and Danny stared at them, their brains not fully understanding what they were saying, before they glanced at each other. And they both knew the same questions were racing through their heads: They were...coming back? To Hawaii? To Five-0? Out of the blue? Could they even make that work with all the people they had in the Team now? Could Kono and Adam work together after everything they went through?

There were so many questions that needed answering before they could come back. And they both knew the Governor would need to be told about that, and neither of them wanted to have that conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update this week!!


	29. Chapter 29

**There were so many questions that needed answering before they could come back. And they both knew the Governor would need to be told about that, and neither of them wanted to have that conversation.**

“Guys? We were kind of hoping for a better reaction, to be honest.” Kono said, frowning at them.

They both looked up at once, startled. “God no! We are so happy you are coming back!” Steve said, standing up and hauling Danny to his feet at the same time, hugging the two natives close to their chest.

“We missed you so much.” Danny said, running his hand through Kono’s hair. “Of course we are happy you want to come back.”

“Well, then what were you spacing out for?” Chin replied, pulling slightly away from Steve to peer at them.

“Fitting within Five-0.” Steve said. “There’ll be too many people and we’d need to find a way to justify it other than more free days.” He explained, going back to his seat, whereas Danny stayed perched on Kono’s armrest, one arm around her small shoulders, her arm wrapped around his waist and her head against his side.

“Oh.” Chin simply said, scratching his cheek. “That’s another thing we wanted to talk to you about. We uh, we knew that would be a problem, so we are not coming back... to Five-0.”

“WHAT?” And that was exactly the reaction they were expecting. “Hey, I’m sure Steve and I can go convince the Governor…” Danny started.

“Yeah, of course! Maybe make two teams?” He looked at Danny, who was already nodding and starting to get up.

Kono grabbed their hands, forcing them to focus their attention on her, stopping their bodily conversation before they came up with a crazy plan that would lend them in the hot seat with the Governor. “Hey, before you go storm the Governor’s office, listen to us for a second, ok? Also, Danny, you are supposed to be the one who keeps you two out of trouble! What happened?”

Danny shrugged before grinning at her and flicking Steve’s ear, rubbing it immediately after. “He’s a bad influence.”

“Hey! Come here.” Steve replied, grabbing him by the wrist and tugging until he had him in kissing range, sticking his tongue in his lover’s mouth, ignoring Chin’s groan and Kono’s wolf-whistle. “I’m not the big bad dog here.”

“No, you are right, you are a big bad SEAL.” Danny teased, kissing his nose before sitting down on Steve’s armrest, sitting in a similar position he had been with Kono. “Ok, we are listening now.”

“God, you really are a bad influence Steve.” Chin lamented- before leaning towards them, setting his elbows on his knees. “Okay, here’s the thing. I’m getting old, I can’t run up and down everywhere anymore and I have Sarah to take care of, and while I will be more than happy to assist if you ever needed, HPD offered me a position in the Academy.”

“That’s great, Chin!” Steve exclaimed, because the fact that _HPD_ , the same HPD that had shunned him years ago and labelled him a dirty cop, wanted him to teach the new generations of cops meant that they accepted their wrongdoings and were basically apologising. 

And really, Chin’s calm demeanor but no-nonsense ways would make him the perfect training officer.

“I’m really happy for you, buddy.” Danny said, reaching over with his beer and clinking them together. “And what about you, Kono?”

“SWAT offered me a position for a new team they are putting together.”

“SWAT’s putting a new team together?” Danny questioned, turning to look at his partner, but Steve shrugged.

“Yeah, a new quick response team for when Five-0 calls for back-up.” She replied, grinning at them, especifically at Steve who muttered something under his breath that Danny would rather not repeat, so he simply swatted him on the back of his head.

“Well, hopefully if you are there, this one” Danny said tugging Steve’s hair. “will start listening to me and call for back-up more often.”

Steve didn’t reply, he simply smiled, sickenly sweet, at him as the other two laughed at him, once they quieted down he spoke. “In case you ever want to come back, Five-0 will always be open for you two.”

Chin nodded as Kono stood up, hugging Steve. “Thank you, boss. But I… I know Adam has integrated well with you and I still care for him. He gave up everything he knew for me, I can’t ask him to give this up, too. Not when I’m the one who divorced him.” She explained. 

“Kono…” Steve said, hugging her closer. 

“I’m fine. It would have been more cruel to keep him around all the time where he couldn’t really do anything. I’m just happy he’s also found a family with you guys.”

“Of course, Kono… Shit something is burning!” Danny was up and into the kitchen in second. “It’s alright! We still have dinner!” He yelled, sending everyone in a fit of laughter.

* * *

Steve woke up in the middle night, feeling cold, half asleep he reached over for his partner, not feeling him there and his spot was almost cold. “Danny?” He called out, getting out of bed and heading to the living room, where, surprise surprise, his lover was sleeping on the sofa. Frowning, he sat down next to him, shaking his shoulder gently, causing Danny to blink owlishly at him. “Baby? What are you doing here? I thought we said you’d wake me if you couldn’t sleep.” He said, smoothing a hand down the blond hair.

“Is alright, g’ back to bed, babe.” Danny mumbled, closing his eyes again, his accent thick and heavy in his state.

“Not without you, c’mon.” He gently tugged him to his feet and guided him back to the master bedroom. Their bedroom. And it just went to say how sleepy Danny was that he didn’t even say anything back, he simply followed him and once there he allowed Steve to undress him down to his underwear and to be tucked like he tucked Charlie. “Would it be better if I shifted?” Steve questioned, pressing his lips on his temple.

“Wha’?” He mumbled as he turned his head around, looking up at him with half-hooded eyes.

“Nothing, it’s alright.” He bent over and kissed him on the lips before straightening again and dropping his own underwear to the floor and shifting. He jumped on the bed and cuddled close to Danny, who rolled onto his side and spooned him, a deep sigh leaving his body.

* * *

When Steve woke up Danny was still passed out next to him and a glance to the clock showed him that they had slept in, not that he was against it when they both needed it so much. Carefully he shifted back to human and gathered Danny close, fitting the smaller man under his chin, Danny rousing in the process.

“Hm… Mornin’…” Danny mumbled, nosing his neck. “How long?”

“Just now.” He kissed the side of his head. “You didn’t wake me up.” He pointed out, glaring at him.

“Hm… I didn’t plan to fall asleep on the sofa. I went for a glass of water, saw that I had a message, sat down and fell asleep.” Ah, that was different. And he knew Danny did that sometimes. Not that he liked it, but he had long ago come to terms that Danny and easy sleep were not something that happened often, his heart going out for his partner. “So, where do you want to go?”

“How about we go to that waterfall you like? We can take a bath and eat there.” He replied, rolling Danny to his back and hovering over him.

“Hm… You wet and naked is always a good plan in my mind.” Danny replied, grinning before he pushed him away, sitting up, ignoring the way Steve’s eyes darkened at his words. “You make breakfast, and I’ll make lunch?”

“Yeah. Love you.” He pressed a kiss on his mouth.

“Love you too.”

* * *

The trek to the waterfall was much longer and harder than the petroglyphs one, but Danny _loved_ it. It was even more solitary since it was in an area reserved for shifters and even then, the only ones who could get there were small-medium animals, anything bigger than them could not get through the tunnel. And most haole shifters didn’t bother going inland to shift anyways and the Kapu, who were the ones more likely to go there were, mostly, aquatic animals. There were of course a fair number of them who were land animals, but they still kept to areas closer to the ocean and run on the beach.

And Danny was glad that his claustrophobia lessened in his animal form. He still couldn’t be in small spaces for a long period of time, but it didn’t induce panic attacks almost from the get go. And Steve being there, by his side and checking on him all the time helped him ease all remaining fears.

They needed to bring the kids one day here, when Charlie was older.

The water that pooled at the end of the waterfall was clear and cool, refreshing both of them and Steve loved water and either form, so while Danny stayed on the shallow end, his heavier frame risking drowning without a jacket, Steve went for a swim to the other side of the small lake and back.

After a while Danny got bored and set out the blanket as best as he could, and then went to explore the surrounding area. There wasn’t anything really noteworthy except for a fluffle of bunnies at the edge. He turned around just in time to see Steve get out of the lake, shaking the water and god, even like that he looked amazing with all that black fur except for his paw and tip of the tail, the white fur a stark contrast, his floppy years flying when he moved his head, his slender frame.

With a happy yip Danny headed to him, running almost full speed and tackling him back into the water, laughing when Steve sputtered and glared at him. He liked acting like pups with Steve, letting go of any semblance of adultness like that, away from their daily lives and daily roles as protectors of the law.


	30. Chapter 30

Steve charged at him, basically trying to get on top of him, but he would never push Danny to a deeper area, would never even fake to drown him.

They wrestled some more until Danny jumped out of the lake, Steve following suit and tackling him to the ground, both of the rolling around on the grass and, as usual, Steve was the one being pinned down, so he simply stayed there, looking up at his lover and his beautiful blue eyes, getting lost in them, as cheesy as it sounded before he tried to topple Danny over, to no avail.

After a few more minutes Danny stood and flopped on the blanket, cuddling close, even as Steve shifted back to human, wanting to wrap his arms Danno and pet him and spoil him like he hadn’t been able in almost a month.

“You are so beautiful Danno.” He praised. “I missed having you like this.” He told him, kissing his nose. “I missed you looking like this, too. Not just in paws, but happy and easy and not hurting. It breaks my heart when you get hurt, baby. I never want to see you in pain.” Danny twisted and licked his cheek, whining low. “I know it’s not my fault. Doesn’t make it hurt any less, though. You are so beautiful.” He repeated.

Without another sound, Danny shifted.

“You keep saying that and I’m going to believe it, babe.” He said, grinning, purposefully not talking about him being in danger or hurt, he wanted this to be a relaxed day: play, eat, nap and maybe fool around a bit. Not necessarily in that order.

Steve rolled and pinned him. “If you don’t believe yet, it means I have not been doing my job right.” He nipped at his throat, gently, so not to leave any marks. “Let me?”

“Fuck yeah. But…” 

“Hm?”

“Lake.” He said, pinching his side to get him moving.

Steve perked up at those two words, grinning in that way that meant trouble for him. “Really? You always said you’d never let me touch you in…”

“In the ocean.” Danny cut him off, wrapping his legs around him. “Never said anything about freshwater and beautiful, sand-less, scenery, now did I?”

The taller man chuckled before going down to kiss him deeply, taking control of it, Danny letting him, moaning when Steve positively licked all of his mouth. “You did not. Come here.” He pushed up to stand, pulling Danny to his feet as soon as he could and tugging him to the lake, getting in first and then lowering Danny in, carefully, pressing kisses on his stomach, combined with gentle bites, stopping there to admire his partner, making Danny laugh. 

“Steve! Set me down!” He laughed, wiggling a bit, careful to not tip them over.

Slowly, he did so, his lips still trailing up until he reached his mouth, kissing him deeply, Danny wrapping both arms and legs around him, Steve’s hands going straight to his butt, holding him in place.

“Fuck, baby.” He mumbled when they split apart. “Let’s go to the rocks. I wanna blow you.”

Danny moaned at that: it had been too long since Steve’s sucked his cock. And it was a shame, because he was very good at it and he knew Steve liked to do it almost as much as Danny liked him doing it. He settled on one of the lower rocks, it was pleasantly warm on his back and his legs were dangling in the water, Steve right there in between them.

With one last kiss Steve started to nip at his neck, still careful to not mark him, and continued to descent, and once he passed his collar bones, that when it was all fair play and he started to suck and bite at Danny, effectively leaving a scatter of reddening bruises all over the furry chest, the feel of hair in his tongue a lot more welcome than he ever remembered.

Danny was moaning softly, he always liked the biting. “Babe…” He arched when Steve pinched his right nipple as he suckled on the left, the nub hardening under his ministrations, pulling more of those delicious moans from his lover.

When Danny’s breathing became ragged he pulled away and instead pressed feather-light kisses on the twin scar on Danny’s chest. An absolute sign of his devotion to the man under him, the man that had given him life.

Danny didn’t say anything, he simply rested a hand on top of his head and pressed lightly, not asking for more, but a silent show of understanding and love. He pressed an innocent kiss on his shoulder before he slid down to the water, being in level with Danny’s hardening cock: he was almost fully hard and he knew how to get him there without touching his cock.

It had taken a few times, but eventually he had figured out that one of Danny’s most sensible areas were his thighs. And God, Steve loved leaving his mark there, because unlike his chest where someone could be lucky enough to get a peek of the bites, there was no way anyone but him would see those he left there. And his thighs were perfect for biting: strong but still meaty enough that he could sink his teeth in if he wanted to, hairy but not so much like his chest, and the skin there was soft, and warm and he could smell him, something that was solely Danny. 

And it was his and only his to taste and breathe.

He sunk his teeth on the fair flesh, smiling when Danny arched his back, a needy whimper escaping his lips. He kept biting and sucking, his fingers trailing on his other leg, gently digging them behind his bad knee, knowing how much Danny liked it, small jolts of pleasure coursing through his body.

“Steve!” He moaned, looking at him, lust filling his eyes, the blue he liked so much almost gone. 

“I know, I know. Just relax for me.”

“You try and relax.” He bit out, pushing his legs open some more. “Babe, please.” He begged. “Please.” 

And Steve could not refuse him when he was pleading like that, so with one last bite he moved to give his lover all the pleasure he could, slurping around the head of his cock, one hand rolling his balls and the other keeping him pinned down.

Fuck, when was the last time he had Danny like this? All spread out like a feast before his eyes? Soft and pliant under him? Giving up all sense of control? It was humbling really, knowing how much Danno trusted him.

And he had missed the weight of Danny’s cock against his tongue, the way he felt and tasted. And his moans… God, Danny was so vocal and so loud sometimes he worried they would wake their neighbours, but he loved it, because that was his Danno, his essence: loud, open and fiery. 

The blond had his hands buried in Steve’s hair, pulling every so often, but mostly just running his fingers through it. He did always say he liked Steve’s wet hair the most.

“Ah, ah, ba-babe, no more, please. I’m gonna cum, don’t wanna cum yet.” He moaned, pulling Steve away from his cock, feeling like he was about to explode in his lover’s mouth.

He pulled away with a wet pop and climbed on the rock to kiss Danny, who was a bit late to respond and definitely uncoordinated, but it was still a good kiss, hot and heavy. “Come here.” He tugged his arms gently until they were both in the water, Danny’s arms wrapped around his back, sucking a bruise on his shoulder, moving to his ear, worrying the lobe with his teeth.

“Want you inside me babe, want you to give it to me.” He moaned, knowing how much it turned Steve on when he begged.

And like every other time, it worked wonders: Steve tightened his hold on his hips with one arm, the other snaking down until fingers proved at his entrance.

“Hm… God, I missed this.” It had been almost two months since he had gotten fucked.

“Yeah? Me too, baby.” He kissed his neck, travelling up to his lips to kiss him deeply. “Let’s get out.” As much as he wanted to fuck his boyfriend in the water, their height difference and the slippery, mossy rocks would make it very difficult. And the idea of Danny sprawled on the blanket, the sun shining on him, giving him even more of a golden hue and wanting him was almost even better.

“But I thought…”

“Don’t worry. I have plans for you.” He released him, hand brushing his cock.

“Ugh, you are a fucking tease.” Danny said as he stepped out of the water and peering over his shoulder he looked at Steve, licking his lips and shaking his ass, laughing when Steve groaned behind him.

“And I am the tease?” The ex-SEAL exclaimed, hurrying after him.

“Yup.” He said as he sat down on the blanket, lightly stroking his cock. “You know I’m here for you to take, but I don’t know if you’ll come around to taking me with how slow you are going.” He replied, grinning and that was one of Steve’s favourite things when it came to sex with Danny: he could go from sweet and begging to cocky and teasing in second, especially when he was bottoming.

“Fuck Danno.” He growled, pouncing on him and pushing him onto his back, swatting his hand away from his cock. “This is mine. I’m gonna fuck you until you beg me to stop and your balls are all empty.”

“Yeah? We’ll see about that, sailor.” But even as he taunted him, he was arching his hips towards him, trying to get some friction.

* * *

“Steve, c’mon, fuck me! Please!” Danny whined, gripping the blanket, hard. Steve was keeping him on edge and he could not tell up from down if he wanted to, but the bastard he had for a partner simply chuckled and kissed his hip, one hand very entertained with his cock, squeezing and stroking with no apparent rhythm, three fingers buried inside his ass.

“I love it when you beg.” He said, smirking. “You are so bossy Danno, I want to take you apart and put you back together, I want you desperate to come and for a good fuck.” Danny moaned at his words, fucking himself on his fingers. “Yeah, I knew you’d want that. You’ve been so strung up lately baby, and this is what you needed, wasn’t it? For me to take any and all decisions off your hands and not give you a break.” Danny was nodding now, whimpering and whining, but Steve knew he wasn’t processing a single word. “I mean, that’s why you did it, right? That’s why you kept egging me on this whole week, isn’t it? Because you knew I’d rip you apart like this.”

He looked so good like that, sweaty, leaking, using Steve’s hands to give himself pleasure, but the most beautiful was when he was stuffed full, letting out a soft sigh of relief at having something bigger than fingers inside of him. 

He kissed his knee as he got up, sliding his fingers out of his ass, pulling a whine from his lover.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” He started to head to the bag he had packed and took another packet of lube and a condom. “And don’t touch yourself. You are mine today.” Danny didn’t say anything, but he hadn’t been expecting him too.

When he was back Danny was still gripping the blanket, his breathing harsh and fast, his pupils blown. He kneeled between his legs again, kissing his hip bone. 

“Gonna fuck you now, Danno.” He whispered as put the rubber one and used some more lube on himself

Danny arched his back when Steve pushed inside, a long moan leaving his lips. It had been so long since they had had that and he hadn’t realised how much he had been missing it.

They got lost in each other, in lips and hands until hey both couldn’t hold off for any longer and came almost at the same time, Danny’s fingers digging in Steve’s back the same way Steve dug into his side before crumpling into Danny’s awaiting arms.

“Love… you.” Steve panted, nuzzling his throat.

“Love you… too.” Danny replied, worrying his ear with gentle bites.

After a while Steve rolled away, throwing the condom in a plastic bag he had brought specifically for that. Danny cuddled close, setting his head on Steve’s shoulder.

“Thank you babe.” He mumbled, sleepy and missing the feeling of cum trickling out of him.

“I’ll always give you whatever you need, baby.” Steve replied, turning onto his side to hug him close, letting Danny use his arm as a pillow. “Nap and then eat some?”

“Yeah.” He kissed him one last time before he closed him eyes, soaking up both the sun and Steve’s warmth, feeling content with his life: he had everything he needed right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this is nearing the end, just one more chapter... I feel sad because this one was so fun to write...


	31. Chapter 31

“You dressed, Danno?” Steve questioned as he opened the door to their bedroom, stopping at the sight of Danny all dressed up in their new uniform. “God, you look gorgeous.” He said in one breath. He gently closed the door behind him and walked up to his mate, cupping his face in his hands. “How are you doing?”

Danny gave him a nervous smile. “Ok? I think. I really don’t want to mess up.”

“Baby, you just have to stand there and look pretty.” He said, kissing his lips. “And I’ve seen you give speeches about pineapple on pizza, so I’m pretty sure you won’t have a hard time answering a few questions.” He kissed his nose next. “I need to show you something.” He linked their hands and tugged him to the dining room, where Clara was already waiting for them, all dressed up in her best dress.

She gasped when she saw them come in. “You two look so handsome!” She walked up to them and gave them a hug. She grabbed Danny by the face and kissed his forehead. “I am so proud of you, honey.”

“Thank you, Ma. I’m really happy you are here.” He croaked.

“Oh honey, nowhere else I’d rather be.” She said, kissing him again. “I know Matty would also be proud of you. Your sisters certainly are.”

“You told them?”

“Of course I told them!” She exclaimed, glaring at him. “They’ll call you later in the day, when the ceremony is done.” 

“Ok.” He kissed his mother on the cheek before making his way to his partner. “What was it that you wanted to show me, babe?”

“I’ll leave you two kids be.”

“Oh, you can stay Clara.”

“Yeah, Ma, I’m sure…”

“I already know what it is, sweetheart. I want you and Steve to have this on your own.” She said, kissing both their cheeks.

Danny nodded before he sat down on the chair Steve had drawn for him, slightly panicking inside: Steve wasn’t going to propose, right? Because he loved him, more than he ever loved Rachel, as much as he loved his children, but he wasn’t ready for that step, they hadn’t even been together for a year yet and he couldn’t afford to fuck this relationship up. 

He could not.

“Danny.” He looked up, startled: Steve was folding a manila folder. One that very much looked like those they used at work.

“Please don’t tell me we have a case.” He groaned.

“A ca…?” He shook his head, amused. “No, Danno, no case. I want you to take a look at this.” 

He handed him the folder, open at the first page, where the first thing he was was ‘Lieutenant’ in big, bold letters. He didn’t even read it. He couldn’t concentrate on the words.

“S-Steve? Wh-what…?”

“If you don’t want to, I understand. I just think you deserve it. So much.” He crouched in front of him, his hands resting on Danny’s knees. “You’d probably be close to Captain in NPD. And I hate that because of me you didn’t go back to HPD. You could have taken the Lieutenant exam years ago, but I took that from you. And-And I want to give it back to you. I know you’d never ask for it, but I can’t help but think how much you’ve given up for me and…”

“Steve! You didn’t force me to not go back to HPD. I didn’t want to go back. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to a place that held no good memories for me. Especially without Meka. Babe, you saved my life when you made me your partner.” He pressed a kiss on his lips as he stood up. “Listen to me, you schmuck, you don’t owe me anything except the 500 bucks from that one poker game, everything else? I gave it to you. I don’t want you thinking that you owe me anything for choosing to stay, or for giving you half of my liver, ok?”

“But Danno…”

“Ok?” He said, and although his tone was harsh there was unmistakable love in it, too. He nodded, but Danny could see that he wasn't really believing it. Not yet, at least. “Goodness, babe, have you been feeling this ever since you went to jail?” He questioned and the silence he received in response said everything he needed to know. “Jesus Christ, Steve. Come here.” He wrapped his arms around his waist, forcing the taller man to sit down on the chair and then he climbed on his lap, arms shifting to hug him across his shoulders. “Everything I’ve done for you, _with_ you, is because I love you, and I would do it again, without hesitation. Over and over again. And if you want to think in re-payment terms, what about you’ve given me?” 

“I haven’t…”

“Steve, babe, you think I would have stayed if I didn’t love you?” He sighed, lightly scratching his scalp. “While I would have loved to have known Charlie was mine when he was born, I already had my doubts about Rach, ok? I knew we would go down in flames again. You think I do go to North Korea and commit a handful of international crimes for just anyone? Or storm into Pearl for someone other than you? Or say ‘I love you’ to you and not mean it? Or…”

“Hold up.” Steve said, raising his hand. “Storm into Pearl? When?”

Colour flushed Danny’s cheeks and he stammered, and while that was fucking adorable, especially since he was still sitting on his lap, he knew whatever it was it was more likely illegal.

“Danno?” He cajoled, kissing his neck. “C’mon, tell me.”

The blond huffed. “Well, how do you think I made it to Afghanistan? Comercial?”

“But how…?”

Danny shrugged. “I may or may not have blackmailed a Captain... Beyer, I think? Something like that.”

“You what now?” Danny did what? How? And what the hell did he blackmail Captain Beyer with that ended up with him on a plane and not in a holding cell?

“With how much trouble you ran into back then? I knew knowing everything about one captain or the other would come in handy. So I dug up all of his dirty laundry.”

“How?” He didn’t even care that Danny had gone and done that, if anything he found hilarious and he was already thinking of ways he could use it against him when he stepped over the line. Really, Danny said he was the wild one, but how was that not worse than hanging perps off of roofs? And now he was interested in knowing how his everything-must-be-done-by-the-book lover had done that and gotten away with it?

“Toast.” He explained, smiling sadly. “I had him look up everything about the guy for me. And boy did we find a lot. Like the fact that he is cheating on his wife every other day.”

Well, that sounded out of character from Danny. Especially considering he had been cheated on. “And you are okay with her being cheated on…?”

“Meh, she’s cheating on him, too. But that wasn’t what I used, she more likely already knew. No, I found that he hit his children. So I told him that if he didn’t get me on a plane to you and stopped hitting his children I would send enough cops to his house that everyone in the Navy and their dogs would know about it. And you know me, I can be pretty loud when I have to be so it was in his best interest to send me on my way to save my partner than have me screaming at him for another 10 minutes.”

Steve couldn’t help but laugh before deeply kissing his boyfriend. “God, you are the best, you know that?”

“So you’ve said a few times.” He chuckled. “About the Lieutenantship…”

“You don’t have to. But you deserve it so much, baby. No one deserves it more than you. You’ve given this island 9 years of service, you should have gotten it years ago.” He scratched behind his ears.

“I’m technically not a cop.”

“Doesn’t matter. We have new uniforms, why not our own ranking?” He kissed the side of his neck. “Please?”

Danny sighed: he could not deny him anything and they both knew it. “Okay, yes. I’ll accept it. Hm!” Steve had pulled him into a kiss, all teeth and tongue, fingers digging into his ass. Did they really had to go to the ceremony? He started to rub his hardening cock on his lover’s when a sharp knock made them pull away.

“I better not be smelling what I think I’m smelling!” Clara yelled from the other room.

They both groaned: being a shifter was great, and neither would ever give it up, but boy did it suck when you lived with someone who could smell the heady scent of arousal. And it was worse when that was your mom.

“Sorry Ma!” Danny yelled back before pressing a quick kiss on Steve’s red-kissed lips. “You, me, tonight, your place.”

“You got it baby.” He buried his nose on his neck, just above the collar. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

Danny was standing between Steve and Tani who had almost begged them to let her take his other side and really, they couldn’t deny her anything when she started with her puppy eyes. Was she really a cat? Danno was starting to have his doubts.

“There are many things I am proud of when it comes to our Islands: our culture, the people, our police and fire departments, our medical system, our nature, and any other day I could talk about each of those things for hours, but today I want to talk about the Task Force that the late Governor Jameson, may her soul rest in peace, put to protect every single one of us. We all know them, we all know the things they do to keep us safe, and sometimes we don’t.” She paused to look at them, and it was strange to see the pride in her eyes, considering she was, by far, the one that kept them on the shortest leash. “Two months ago Lieutenant Detective Williams,” there were a few murmurs at that and all of the reporters writing down that fact, Steve noted, pride and love for his partner filling him. “and Officer Rey were kidnapped. It was not on the news, we kept it quiet. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I were kidnapped I can assure you I’d be so terrified that I would not be able to devise a whole plan to free myself, incapacitate my kidnappers, call my team, free my coworker and make sure no one ran away." They all noted that she was implying Danny hadn't killed them and Danny was relieved when she didn't make any mention of him being a dangerous shifter, just like he had asked.

Everyone kept quiet when she finished talking and the Governor waited for a few seconds, making sure the information sunk in.

“It is because of these actions ensuring the safety of Officer Rey and our islands that I am honoured to make him the first recipient in the State of Hawaii of both the Medal of Honour and the Police Combat Cross.” She said, turning around to smile at him. “Lieutenant, please.”

Steve gave him a light push when Danny didn’t move, but he ignored the mild glare he got in return. He wasn’t sure why Danno was so nervous, he had given interviews before. Hell, he had been the one in charge of interviews and answering questions after cases, along with Chin, all the governors deciding that Steve and Kono better not be on camera. Ever.

And ever since the cousins went away he had been the only person in charge of it until he decided he was taking Adam with him a few months back.

“Officer Rey.” Tani walked up to her, and Steve noticed she was almost bouncing. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she had asked to give a speech of her own. She looked up to Danny, and loved him like another father, someone she could count on regardless of the situation, and their kidnapping, the way he had made sure she was left alone had only strengthened her belief that Danno was the man alive. Perhaps, only second to Junior. “Officer Rey asked me if she could be the one to give them to Lieutenant Williams, and after she explained exactly how far and beyond he went to make sure she was safe, I was not unable to refuse.” She saw one of the reports raise her hand. “Yes, Henry.”

“Yes Hello, with Honolulu Civil Beats, could we know exactly what happened?”

“Commander? Lieutenant?” She replied, turning to look at them.

Both men looked at each other, silently talking for a couple of seconds before Danny walked up to the stage, taking the mic. “We believe that it’s not something the general public should be subjected to knowing. Thank you.” And everyone had dealt with Danny and Five-0 long enough to know that they wouldn’t budge and they would not get more information on that case.

“Thank you, Lieutenant. Now, Officer Rey, if you please.”

The reverence in which she took the first armband left Steve breathless., just there, even a passerby could see how much she admired his partner. She gently wrapped them around his left arms, securing them with the little pin. And then pinned the breast plates. She took a step back to smile at him, and they all could see her eyes shine with unshed tears.

She took her place next to Junior.

And Steve heard his boyfriend thank everyone, saw the Governor start the question round, but he wasn’t able to listen when he saw his sisters-in-law sneak in with their partners and children, more or less hiding behind Mary, Chin and Kono. He hoped he did the right thing, Clara said he was. And one glance at Danny showed how he was glowing, all signs of torture gone save for a few scars on his back and he felt pride and love fill him.

Danno finally got the recognition he deserved. That he should have always had.

He was in a daze, just… hoping that he could have this until the day he passed away. It was way more than he ever thought he would have: he had always thought he would die on the job, in the middle of nowhere, having not known true love or the joy of having a child. But now… He had it. All of it. Danny had given it to him: a mother he loved and that loved him and his sister for who they were, children he would do anything for and that he had loved from the get go, another two sisters that teased him and that he could tease back. And more importantly, he had a  _ mate _ . 

In all of his fantasies it had never been someone like Danny, it had always been someone more chill, who didn’t argue with him about everything and who didn’t demand an explanation every other hour. But he wouldn’t have it any other way, because Danno balanced his life in the ebay way possible, and sometimes he wanted to bang him head against the wall, but he still loved him to death and would give up anything for him.

“Thank you very much for your assistance, that will be all for today.” He snapped back when Danny finished talking and the reporters started standing up.

“Hey, we’ll see you back at your house, ok? Go to your boy.” Lou told him once only their families remained and, somehow, Danny had not spotted them yet, but then again, he had just been answering questions for forty minutes straight and then was basically tackled to the ground by both his kids and Junes and Tani. The kids and Clara had been given a spot in the first line, so they hadn’t seen the others arrive yet, either.

“Yeah. Thanks Lou.” He replied, patting him on the arm before he made his way to his lover. “Danno.”

“Babe!” He grinned at him, Charlie on his hip, Grace hugging him from the other side, and he had never seen something so beautiful. He didn’t know what to say, so he simply kissed him, cupping his face.

“I love you so much.” He whispered. “All of you.” He kissed the kids heads. 

“Love you, too.” Danny replied, letting go of his kids. “Go with Grandma for a second.” And there they went. “Everything alright, love?”

He nodded, drawing him near. And goddammit, he didn’t care if everyone saw him being soft and mushy with Danny, in uniform, out of it, he didn’t care, he didn’t want to hide anything. Especially not from their family.

“I’m just happy for you, Danno. You should have gotten these so long ago. I’m just happy everyone else is finally able to see you how  _ I _ see you.”

Danny sighed before he kissed him again. “Marshmallow puppy.”

He chuckled. “Maybe. But yours.”

“Mine. Yours, too.” He kissed him again, fingers playing with the dark short dark hair on the base of his skull.

“Hey Uncle D!” A young woman's voice yelled, making them both jump. And Steve saw in real time how realisation dawned on Danny. It was beautiful.

“Sophie!” He slid away from his side and ran to hug his niece, who jumped into his arms. “What…?” He looked up from her head and felt his eyes well up with tears when he saw all of his family approach him, suddenly being enveloped in a giant Williams embrace. “How…?”

“Steve told us what was going on, so we decided to come here for you.” Stella replied, holding him tightly. “We are so proud of you. Matty would be, too.”

He let of a quivery breath at those words and hugged them tighter, missing the warmth his brother always provided. “Thank you.”

“Of course, little brother. Love you.”

He smiled at her, drawing his little sister ever closer still, one arm around her back to force her to be at the same level as them, the kids having gone to reunite with their other three cousins, loud voices, almost yips, all that came from them. Carl and Jeannie went with them to hug Clara and greet Steve, who was now by Clara's side and watching the older Williams children hug.

“You’ve got yourself a good man, D.” Stella said, kissing his cheek again. “He was so excited when he called to invite us over.”

“Yeah, like a pup.” Bridget agreed.

“That’s because he  _ is _ a pup.” Danny replied, rolling his eyes, but as he looked up to watch him, and he couldn’t help but let his smile widen when Steve looked at him almost immediately.

He really somehow found the best man in the world.

And he was not going to let him go. Ever. 

“You know what we should do while we are here, D?”

“What, Stella?” Bridget asked, knowing her sister was up to something.

“We should go ring shopping.”

Danny turned around to glare at her, his cheeks pink and the tip of his ears scarlet red. “Stella!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, guys, this is it. We are done.
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking through with this one and for making it so enjoyable for me to write!


End file.
